Kitsune Storm
by RagnellAlondite
Summary: What if Naruto didn't learn the Kage Bushin jutsu first? What if the first jutsu he learned sent him on a journey across dimensions, to learn all that he would need to in order to protect his world? Challenge issued by MrWriterWriter
1. The Scroll

_AN* Hey there! For those of you who do know me and read my work, welcome to my latest work. As said in the discription this a challenge fanfiction by MrWriterWriter, so look up his profile to see the challenge and take part if interested._

_The Scroll_

The dark. That was the boy's element as he jumped through the trees of the forest. The boy carried a large scroll and normally his bright orange jumpsuit would give him away in a crowd, but somehow he managed to stay hidden. The boy was none other then Naruto Uzumaki, and the scroll he was carrying was the Forbidden Scroll that had once belonged to the Fourth Hokage. Landing in the clearing he opened the scroll and looked at the first jutsu.

"Ugh, Kage Bushin... I can't even do a regular Bushin." he grumbled as he passed it, deciding to come back to it later. Continuing on he read over a few more.

"Shuriken Kage Bushin, Mizu Bushin, Tsuchi Bushin, Kaze Bushin. WHAT IS WITH ALL THE GOD DAMN BUSHIN!" the hyper active blond yelled. Moving to the end of the scroll he found a jutsu that wasn't a bushin but it was also blurred.

"Well it's better then nothing, and if I can learn it then I can finally get to be a shinobi." he grinned as he started memorizing the hand signs, then practicing them without channeling chakra. Once he was satisfied he had learned it he went back and groaned, looking at the Bushin jutsu.

"Well maybe I'll get extra credit if I learn more." he sighed as he started practicing the Kage Bushin. It was several hours later that he finished practicing, having learned a few more techniques out of the scroll, that Iruka showed up.

"NARUTO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" he shouted.

"Passing the make up test?" the blond asked confused "Mizuki-sensei told me that if I could steal the forbidden scroll and learn one jutsu out of it that I would be allowed to become a genin."

Iruka sighed at this, knowing that Naruto hadn't done this to be mean.

"Listen Naruto, Mizuki lied to you."

"That I did." the chunin laughed from the branch he was standing on.

"Why?" Naruto asked, confused and hurt that the sensei that he trusted had lied to him.

"Because I wanted the scroll. And as a reward for you doing such a good job, how about I tell you a secret!"

"MIZUKI DON'T! IT'S FORBIDDEN!" Iruka shouted.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"It's a secret relating to you. The reason that the village hates you. You see on the day you were born the Kyubi attacked, so when the fourth killed it, he locked it away inside a newborn baby. That baby was you! You are the KYUBI!" Mizuki laughed as the blond stood there shocked.

"_It can't be!" he mentally screamed._

"_You're right on that part." a rough voice growled._

"_WHO!"_

"_The Kyubi. Trust me kit, you aren't me. You are just the jailor, the warden."_

"_Then I'm not a monster."_

"_Kit if you're a monster then the Nibi is a prude, the Ichibi isn't obsessed with killing, and I'm just a bid cuddly plushie." the fox growled._

"_Then..."_

"_Go ahead and kick that betrayers ass. We demon lords value honor above everything else, so use that new technique of yours and kick some major ass!"_

Nodding Naruto looked up at Mizuki who was laughing.

"You're wrong." he grinned "I'm not the Kyubi, I'm simply the one keeping it from killing everyone."

"WHAT?" Mizuki shouted.

"And now let me show you what I learned from the scroll." Naruto grinned as he started the fifty hand signs. Once finished everyone stopped for a moment, expecting a massive attack or something, but instead nothing happened for a few moments.

"OH THIS IS RICH!" Mizuki laughed "YOU ARE A FAILURE!"

Before anything else could be said static shone through the air behind Naruto. Suddenly a massive portal opened up and he was pulled inside before either of the two chunin knew what happened.


	2. Blood Stained

_AN: Alright, here is the rewrite of the chapter Blood Stained. It's longer and does have more details as to what happened while he was with Kenshin._

Blood Stained

Naruto had no idea what was going on as he flew through a silver portal. He looked around, seeing glimpses of people and places that looked unfamiliar. As he traveled he noted that he felt odd, not bad but unusual as though some sort of weight was being taken off of him.

_"Hey Kyubi?"_

_"What Kit?"_

_"Is there something different about me now?"_

_"Now that you mention it..." Kyubi trailed off as red chakra started wrapping around the boy "I found something interesting. It appears that you have seals on you. I'm counting at least five of them, though there may be more."_

_"What are they?"_

_"The first one is a mental capacity inhibitor on your forehead. It's designed to lower your mental abilities. There are two chakra suppressing seals, one around my seal, and another one on the back of your neck. The next one is a kill seal, should you ever go rouge I assume, and it's right over your heart so it would be an instant death. The last one I can find is another suppressant seal on your back, though this one is on your physical growth. Probably why you are so short."_

_"WHAT THE HELL! WHEN DID THESE DAMN THINGS GET PLACED AND BY WHO?"_

_"No clue by who, but when would be when you were a baby. It would be the easiest time to do it, and would go unnoticed. I didn't even notice until you mentioned something."_

_"Can you get rid of them?"_

_"Sure. Now that I know where they are and how they are there I can use my youki to burn them right off of you, though this is going to hurt like all hell."_

_"Don't care. Get those damn things off of me."_

Kyubi didn't say a word as he used his youki to destroy any seal on Naruto that didn't relate to his sealing on himself. Once finished they started slowing down and it seemed they were arriving at their first stop. The blond fell to the ground on a stone street near some men who looked shocked at the blond who fell from no where.

"Who the hell is this?" one asked.

"Doesn't matter. He's probably one of those revolutionaries." another man growled as he started to draw his katana.

"Wait!" Naruto exclaimed as he back up. Before any of the three could do anything they were killed with a single swing of a katana. Looking over Naruto saw a man who wasn't that much older then he was, with red hair, piercing eyes and two katanas. He wore white hakama and a blue kimono.

"Who might you be?" he asked "You are no friend of the Shinsengumi that much is certain."

"My name is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki. And I actually have no idea what is going on..."

"Lost are you?"

"Kind of. I'm not from around here."

"Well you cannot stay here, not with three dead men here. Come with me and we can sort you out then." the man nodded as he led him away, moving so quickly that it took all of Naruto's speed to keep up. Once they arrived at a large building the man led him into a decent sized room and told him to take a seat. Once seated the man looked at him.

"So where are you from?" he asked.

"Konaha."

"Konaha? I have never heard of such a place. Do you know where you are right now?"

"No."

"You are in the city of Kyoto."

"Never heard Iruka-sensei mention a place like that."

"Iruka? He is your teacher?"

"Yeah. He was teaching me and a lot of others so that we could become Shinobi."

"You are a shinobi then?"

"Not yet. I failed the exam, and then another one of my sensei's told me that there was a supplemental test that I could take, but he lied, and when I tried to use the jutsu that he taught me it sent me here."

"Hmmm. I have never heard such a thing before."

"So who are you anyway?"

"Oh, excuse me. I am Himura Kenshin, a revolutionary hitokiri."

"Hitokiri?"

"An assassin. It is my job to kill people so that a new era might be brought in, to save the people suffering from a harsh rule." he smiled.

"Wow. Is there any chance you could teach me?"

"How to kill?"

"Kenjutsu!" Naruto grinned.

"Well, I suppose. I am not finished training myself. I left my master before I could finish, and I do not think I should be teaching one so young the way of killing people."

"Please..." Naruto begged "I want to be strong."

"Why do you seek strength?" Kenshin asked after a few moments.

"To protect those that are precious to me." the blond grinned. Kenshin nodded at hearing this.

"Very well. I shall teach you the secret art of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryû" Kenshin grinned as he stood up. The next day Kenshin took Naruto out of the city and deep into the woods where he handed the young blonde a practice sword and faced him, his own at the ready.

"First we have to teach you the basics of kenjutsu. After that we will begin teaching you all the techniques." Kenshin explained. Naruto nodded his understanding as Kenshin explained each of the nine basic strikes and the means of blocking them. To Naruto this was fairly easy enough, but it was when Kenshin began sparring against him to show him the way Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu used speed and the least amount of movement to stike the opponent. For two weeks Naruto learned the basics and once Kenshin deemed him at a satisfactory level he began teaching him the techniques. It was during this time that Naruto changed his wardrobe, wearing black hakama and an orange kimono with the kanji of Fox on the back. Kenshin had also gotten him his own katana and had Naruto train with it when practicing the forms of the techniques so he would be used to the weight of the blade in combat.

"You must be faster." Kenshin advised as Naruto trained.

"I'm trying Kenshin-sensei!" Naruto panted as he moved to dodged anothe swing from the practice sword.

"You're moving to much. Remember, it is the least amount of movement that matters." Kenshin reminded Naruto.

By the end of the seventh month Naruto was at a satisfactory level to Kenshin and he allowed the boy to aid him in various assassinations that he would preform, letting the boy keep watch and deal with any extra problems that might arise. This was how Naruto got his first taste of blood. The blonde was watching Kenshin's back while his sensei finished off their target, when a group of three of the Shogun's samurai turned down the street and saw Kenshin finish off the target. The three drew their katana's and Naruto reacted quickly, crossing the distance between them and delivering a fatal strike to two of the, letting them drop to the ground while the third blinked in shock at what had happened. Turning to see where Naruto was he was able to just see the blonde's blade flash through his throat, and he knew that he was dead.

"Naruto, we must leave." Kenshin advised as Naruto stared at the dead bodies.

"Right..." Naruto nodded as they soon ran off. Once they were back with the other revolutionaries Kenshin took Naruto aside and sat with him while the young shinobi came to terms with the fact that he had killed.

"Does it ever get any easier?" Naruto asked as he looked at Kenshin.

"No. Taking a life should never become easy. That is how a monster is made. I take lives so that many others will live but I take no joy in the fact and neither should you." Kenshin replied "Do what you must for others and repent for the misdeeds that you have committed. That is all you can do."

Naruto nodded at this advice and took Kenshin's words to heart making a silent vow that he would only kill when there was no other option, and never take any joy in the matter. Having tasted blood and gone through combat Kenshin started to increase Naruto's training and by the time the thirteenth month arrived Kenshin told Naruto that he had taught him all that he knew.

"You have done well Naruto. You have learned all that I know, and if you wish to ever master this sword you will need to seek out my master." Kenshin explained.

Naruto shook his head however before speaking "I'm sorry Kenshin-sensei, but it's time for me to go. I've lingered here for far too long."

"I see. Then may you have safe travels Naruto, and I hope that we will meet again in the safer world I hope to help forge." Kenshin nodded as he turned to leave. Naruto walked off into the woods outside of Kyoto and soon finished the jutsu, using chakra again for the first time since he arrived. Once the portal was open the blonde stepped in, leaving behind feudal Japan and heading for his next destination.


	3. Ryōzanpaku

_AN: Here is the rewrite for Ryozanpaku, and this one is my personal favorite of the three rewrites. Enjoy._

Ryōzanpaku

Naruto was again floating through the silver passage way this time taking in more of the pictures of places and people along the way.

_"Hey Kit!"_

_"Yes?"_

_"You think we are heading home?"_

_"Not yet. I don't think we will be heading back to our land until we finish whatever we are supposed to."_

_"And that would be?"_

_"If I knew I would have said it."_

_"Damn human."_

_"Stupid fox."_

The argument was cut short as they stopped and fell onto the ground, somewhere near a massive tree.

"Ok, now where am I?" he muttered to himself as he stood up. Looking around he noticed that it was a massive dojo nearby and that there were large walls around it.

"Who do we have here?" a voice behind him asked. Turning slowly he saw a massive older man with blond hair and full beard and mustache and a ripped body from what could be told under his dark gray robe.

"Hello." Naruto said looking at the giant.

"Who might you be?"

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and you are?" Naruto asked.

"I am Haruo Furinji, but you can call me Elder." he smiled "So what brings you to my dojo? Looking to become stronger little swordsman?"

"Well yes I would like to be stronger, but I already have a teacher in the art of kenjutsu." Naruto nodded "But if you could teach me, or someone else I would be very honored."

"Well why don't you come inside and we will discuss what we can do you you." Elder smiled as he led Naruto inside. Once seated he noted that there was a person trying to hide his presence while watching him.

"You can come out now." he sighed as he looked at the man. The man was as tall as the Elder was, with his hair standing straight up and his own huge muscles. He was wearing a red shorts, a yellow tank top and had bandages wrapped around his feet and shins as well as his fists and forearms.

"You are going to be Apachi's second disciple?" he asked looking at Naruto with hope in his eyes.

"I might. I'm looking to learn martial arts so if you want to teach me then I am willing to learn, once I am done speaking with the Elder." Naruto grinned as Apachi cheered.

"I see you have met Apachi Hopachai, our Mauy Thai master." the Elder said as he returned "So where are you from Naruto?"

"My home town is called Konahagakure in Hi no Kuni." Naruto said.

"I have never heard of such a place." the elder said with a serious look "Now are you simply playing games or are you telling the truth?"

"I make a habit to tell the truth to people who might be training me." Naruto grinned.

"So you are a traveler from a far distant land." he smiled with a wink.

"You could say that." he replied returning the wink.

"Alright then. Since you are a traveler and do not likely have any money to pay for our services the deal will be this. If you help around the dojo, and maybe train our first disciple, Kenichi Shirahama, then we will consider your debt cleared."

"Sounds fair." Naruto nodded as he stood up "So where will I be staying?"

"We will find you a room." the Elder nodded as the doors opened and two people stood there. The first was a girl, and in Naruto's opinion was very beautiful, with long blond hair and a jumpsuit that hugged her well endowed body. Behind her was a young boy with brown hair, wearing a school uniform with a yin yang pin on the left collar.

"Just in time. Miu, Kenichi, I'd like you to meet Naruto Uzumaki. He will be staying here and training with us as well." the Elder grinned as Miu greeted him while Kenichi was looking at him, and at the sword at his waist.

"So where are you from Naruto?" Miu asked.

"A long ways away. I arrived here by accident, and the Elder agreed to let me train." Naruto grinned "So you're Kenichi. It seems I might be teaching you at times."

"Oh really." he sighed, knowing that he was in for hell.

"Don't worry. I'm sure I won't kill you." he grinned.

"Well lets introduce you to everyone else. Kenichi, why don't you go warm up before we have the others start your training." the Elder grinned. With that he led the blond out of the room to meet the other masters. First was Akisame Kǭetsuji, the jujitsu teacher. He was a seemingly nice man who had many artistic talents and from what Naruto could gauge stronger then he looked. Next was Shio Sakaki, the karate master. He was a massively built man that seemed to have a drinking problem and didn't seem to want to teach Naruto at all. After that was Ma Kensei the chinese kenpo master. He was a short man who didn't look all that tough and was a super pervert. After that was the one teacher that Naruto got along with the best, Shigure Kosaka the weapons master. The two started talking right away with her examining him at first and then his basic katana.

"Well Shigure-chan, care for a practice spar?" Naruto asked with a grin.

"I suppose." Shigure nodded grabbing her katana. Once the two were outside the other masters came out to watch the blond fight against the weapon mistress. The two started quickly, with Naruto trying to get the upper hand using his god speed, but Shigure while not as fast was equally strong and able to follow his movements with ease. After blocking several of his initial attacks she started counter attacking, forcing him to rely on dodging more then anything else. Soon Naruto had several cuts along his kimono and was exhausted.

"Geez, you are way to good Shigure-chan." Naruto panted.

"Thanks." she nodded her eyes never leaving the blond.

"Guess I should at least try one of my masters techniques." Naruto grinned taking a different stance, where the sword was sheathed and the katana was held in his left hand. Taking a step forward he spun in a quick circle, shooting the sword off at Shigure "Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Hiryusen(Flying Dragon Slash)." he grinned as the hilt headed straight for the weapon users face. Naruto watched as she saw the strike coming, and by raising her katana managed to block the full attack, sending it askew and grazing her head.

"Damn it." Naruto sighed "Thought that would work."

"It was a good effort." Akisame noted "I've never seen kenjutsu like that."

"Thanks. But it doesn't do much good if the hit doesn't make contact." Naruto replied.

"Well then... we can just spar again." Shigure replied as she returned his katana "You have a talent at this."

The next day began Naruto's training, first with Akisame who had Naruto strapped with weights in the shape of budhas, weighing so much that Naruto was amazed that he was able to move. as he went through the various chores with these attached Akisame soon took them off and began going over the basics of jujitsu with Naruto. Once lunch was over it was Apachi's turn and the giant proved to be a hard hitter. One kick sent Naruto flying across the massive yard and Apachi looked terrified that he had hurt Naruto, but the blonde got back up with blood running down his face, a grin on it as he went back for more, much to Apachi's joy. Once Kenichi and Miu returned Naruto helped them with the chores and watched a spar between the two and noted that Kenichi couldn't bring himself to even hit Miu, though Naruto doubted that he could. Once the spar was done and Kenichi went off with Akisame to train Naruto went off on his own to work on his Academy Taijutsu. As he went through the practice kata Sakaki watched and after a few moments stood up and stopped the blonde.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he asked.

"Going through the practice kata." Naruto replied "This is what my senseis back home taught me."

"They taught you wrong." Sakaki replied as ordered Naruto into the starting stance "Here, bend your knees more. Bring your arms closer to your chest, your trying to fight like a martial artist not a berserker." Sakaki continued teaching Naruto until Miu shouted to them that dinner was finished and soon they were all seated around the table, enjoying a delicious meal. Once dinner was done Naruto volunteered to do the dishes, which there were a ton of while Kenichi went off with the next master. Once Naruto finished cleaning the mountain of dishes he went outside to find Ma Kensei waiting for him.

"It's time we got started on you training." he said. Ma's training was unusual to say the least, and at one point he tried to have Naruto help him peep on Shigure, which Naruto knew would be a bad idea, as the kunai almost hitting Ma in the head proved. For a week this cycle of training continued with Naruto working a spar in with Shigure at least once a day, and all of the masters were pleased with his work ethic. By the end of the first week Naruto was advancing at a startling rate, shocking Kenichi that the blonde was more talented then him, but Naruto was always kind to Kenichi and so the boy didn't feel as upset as he would have been if Naruto had gotten a big head.

"Talent is only so good. Hard work is the more important thing, and you are a genius when it comes to that." Naruto told the boy as they finished washing dishes one night.

"You think so?" Kenichi asked.

"Know so. Back home, I was the class failure. Everyone hated me and either ignored my very existance or tried to sabatoge me. I still have a lot of bad habits that I picked up that Sakaki-sensei is working on fixing." Naruto explained "But you know what, I work had and with the right teachers you can do just about anything."

Kenichi smiled at Naruto's encouragement and the next day instead of Miu sparring him, Naruto entered the ring.

"Time to see how I've progressed compared to you." Naruto told Kenichi as they both bowed to the other and took fighting stances. The fight started with Kenichi soon on the retreat as Naruto was a far faster opponent then Kenichi thought he would be and was shocked with how Naruto barely moved to dodge his attacks and would slip through the gaps and strike with the various styles that he had been learning. After sparring like this for close to ten minutes Naruto stopped and helped Kenichi stand up while nodding at the other boy.

"You are really good." Kenichi panted.

"Lots of practice on my end." Naruto replied "You'll probably wipe the floor with me one day."

Kenichi only laughed at this while the Masters were having their own discussion.

"He has some talent." Akisame noted "And whoever taught him kenjutsu was a genius."

"He managed to take the lessons from his kenjutsu and incorporate them into his martial arts. He's more then talented." Ma Kensei nodded.

"He's not vain either. A good quality." Sakaki added.

"APA! He is Apachi's second favorite student!" Apachi agreed.

"But he isn't a Katsujuken fighter." Shigure noted.

"Isn't he?" Apachi asked.

"He's killed." Elder nodded "You can smell the blood on his soul, and he carries it like a heavy burden. It is a good sign that he understands that killing isn't the answer, but the fact that he has killed will always taint his martial arts."

"So he isn't going to be like Kenichi." Akisame nodded.

"Maybe not exactly the same, but he will be similar." Elder nodded "He will take our lessons to heart and maybe one day he can fully commit to the path Katsujuken. Until then we can only help him go in the right direction."

The other masters nodded at this and all looked at Naruto in new light, seeing the subtle signs that Shigure and Elder had picked up on right away. By the end of the first month Naruto had changed his wardrobe again, donning black pants, a white shirt with an orange swirl on the front, and wearing a long black coat. He only wore this when he was out in the city with Kenich and Miu to help with the groceries, otherwise he still wore his clothes from his time with Kenshin. It was just after a month and half when Naruto went out with Kenichi and Miu to get groceries that Naruto learned that Kenichi had attracted the eyes of some very dangerous people. They were just leaving the grocery store when ten punks cut them off, some holding pipes and knives.

"May we help you?" Naruto asked as he looked at the punks who told him to step aside so they could deal with Kenichi. Now Naruto only sighed as he set down his bags and stepped towards them.

"Didn't you hear me! Get outta the way!" the apparent leader shouted. Naruto smirked as he took another step towards them and one of the punks took a swing at him with the pipe. This started a very short brawl with Naruto twisting and grabbing the pipe while bringing a knee up and smashing the punk's face. Pulling the pipe from the punk's hand he turned and used it to block the swing of another pipe weilding teen and while the teen stumbled a bit Naruto stepped into his zone and with an open hand strike broke his nose. Leaning back Naruto dodged the knife weilding teen and grabbed his arm, and threw him over his sholder into a pile of trash cans. Turning to look at the other punks they all started to back away from the blonde that moved with such fluid and deadly grace that they knew they were looking at someone that would be close to the par of one the Eight Fists. It wasn't long before they all ran off and Naruto looked over at Kenichi who was starting to apologize.

"Just who were they?" Naruto asked.

"They're part of a street gang called Ragnarok." Kenichi began as he explained how all this had started and once finished Naruto nodded and walked back with them to the dojo. That night Naruto took Kenichi into the wooded backyard and faced the disciple.

"What I'm about to teach you is going to help sharpen your sense of danger. This should help you avoid dangerous situations and when developed enough you can use it to do what I did earlier today and flow from one opponent to the next without having to worry about being overwhelmed." Naruto explained.

"Ok..." Kenichi nodded "So what are you going to do?"

"Hunt you." Naruto replied as he stepped back and disappeared into the shadows.

"WHAT?!" Kenichi shouted in fear as suddenly a kunai embedded itself right in front of him, causing him to jump back in fear, just as a shuriken went by right where his head is currently at.

"This is your training. All of these weapons are dull practice ones, but they will hurt if you get hit. And since pain is a very good motivator at times this will make sure that you learn quickly." Naruto explained from the shadows as he moved "Try to think like I would and you might be able to avoid the majority of what I plan on doing tonight."

Kenichi was now terrified and would continue to be as Naruto did this training with him every three days. It was close to three months when Naruto finally felt like it was time to leave, donning the clothes that he normally wore in the city and packing the other wardrobe into a small pack that Miu had helped him pick out during one of their shopping trips. He said his farewells to everyone, getting a list of training exercises to do every day while he was away from each of the four masters that he trained with and once done he made his way out of the dojo and found a secluded area where he flashed through the handsigns again and entered the portal once it opened.


	4. Death City

_AN: And here is the final of the three rewrites._

Death City

For the third time Naruto was traveling through the portal heading for his next destination. This time he felt as though it was going to be the last time it wouldn't take him home.

_"Hey Kyubi?"_

_"What Kit?"_

_"Where do you think we are heading this time?"_

_"I don't know. Somewhere different from the others that much is certain. I mean I'm watching through your vision and I swear I just saw a sun with a face laughing. And it was a creepy looking sun, as in like monster, not children show."_

_"I saw it too. It was rather bizarre."_

The two were silent for a few moments when they came to their destination. This time they landed on a spike, above a small skirmish between three boys. Two were fighting one who had guns and was beating them up.

_"Man he's good."_

_"No kidding Kit. He seems stronger then most. We should see if he will train you, it would be interesting to see you using those weapons of his."_

Naruto continued to watch the battle until the guns transformed into massive cannons that blasted the two boys. Naruto observed for a bit longer before he saw the gun user collapse, spitting out blood and saying something about his symmetry collapsing. Sighing Naruto leapt off the point he was on, landing next the group.

"That was almost amazing." he sighed as everyone stared at him.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" a girl in the schools dress code asked.

"Oh, right. The name is Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto grinned.

"You a technician?" the scythe transforming kid asked.

"Not sure." Naruto shrugged as the girl stared at him for a moment.

"Your soul is unusual... There are two, with a second one at your stomach." she noted.

"My tenant." Naruto nodded.

"Tenant?" the teacher asked with a gleam in his eyes "Perhaps some dissection would be helpful in learning what it is."

"No." Naruto said taking a step away "I already know what it is and we are just fine the way we are."

"HEY! WHY IS HE GETTING ALL THE ATTENTION! I'M THE STAR THAT DEFEATED A GOD!" the other boy shouted.

"Who the hell is the loudmouth?" Naruto asked.

"This is Black Star, a demon blade technician, and I'm Tsubaki, a demon blade weapon." Tsubaki smiled from her spot of helping Black Star up.

"My name is Maka, a scythe technician, and this is Soul, my scythe." Maka explained as Soul stood up and looked at him.

"You seem like a cool guy." he nodded.

"Thanks, I think." Naruto replied as he looked at the two girls standing over their partner.

"I'm Liz Thompson, this is my sister Patti, and the over reacting one is Death the Kid." Liz explained as Patti continued to laugh at Kid.

"And this is Professor Stein." Maka said, motioning to the scary teacher.

"Nice to meet you all." Naruto nodded as Kyubi started to tense, causing Naruto to look over his shoulder and see a skull masked figure arriving.

"Oh! Just wi~~sh! Well do~ne!" he said.

_"SHIT! IT'S SHINIGAMI-SAMA!" Kyubi shouted._

_"WHAT? That's what he looks like?"_

"Oh, it's the real Shinigami-sama." Soul said.

"Good afternoon." Maka smiled.

"Oh ho~. I'm here because it's my son's first day of school." he said as the Thompson sisters greeted him and he saw Kid "Unbelievable... Kid... You really are a handful." Shinigami looked at each of them stopping at Naruto and looking at him for a moment.

"I don't believe we have met before." he laughed.

"Sorry. My name is Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto smiled.

"I see. I take it you aren't from around here?" the death god asked.

"That's right sir." Naruto nodded.

"Well then, why don't you come with us and you can stay with my son and me for awhile." Shinigami replied as Liz picked up Kid "Well, now we'll take Kid home then. Bye bye."

"See ya later." Black Star said as Maka continued to stare at the death god. Once back at the mansion Shinigami had Naruto follow him to his meeting room.

"Alright then Naruto, where are you from."

"Konahagakure." Naruto nodded.

"Oh. That explains why the demon lord is inside of you." he laughed "It's the Kyubi correct?"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded as the Kyubi continued to panic.

"So what are you doing here then, not that I don't mind visitors, it's just unusual for them to be from other worlds."

With that Naruto explained his story and once finished the death god nodded.

"I see. Well I suppose we could train you as well. Since your chakra in this world is the same as our soul wavelength." he nodded "I will have you seeing different people to train with for a time."

"Thank you, Shinigami-sama." Naruto nodded as he walked off to where they said his room was. The next day Naruto attended school with the Maka, Soul, Black Star and Tsubaki.

"Alright class." Stein began "Shinigami-sama has told us that we are having a guest student for awhile. He will be staying with us for a time so treat him well."

"Hello." Naruto said "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, looking forward to working with all of you."

"Is he a tech or a weapon?" a person asked.

"Tech." Naruto replied "Though I am not looking for a weapon at the moment." This got muttering from the class and an angry glare from Black Star who was pissed he wasn't the center of attention. Once the class was finished for the day Naruto met up with Maka who handed him a practice scythe and started teaching him how to use the weapon. It was complex to Naruto who was used to his kenjutsu but Maka was sure to help him as they sparred.

"Move your feet. Don't just stand there swinging it like you're trying to clear your way through a jungle!" Maka shouted as she hit him again.

"Damn! This is harder then it looks!" he shouted as he tried again, spinning the practice scythe while trying to step around Maka's attacks. After a few hours of this Naruto left and went to meet up with Black Star who had challenged him to a duel. Now Naruto was a lot more skilled then he had been before he left but Black Star proved to be on a different tier in hand to hand combat.

"OH SHIT!" Naruto cursed as Black Star almost smashed his head in.

"I'll teach you to try and steal my stage time!" he shouted as he continued to attack. Naruto for his part was worried that the assassin was actually going to kill him at this point, seeing as how Black Star's eyes had changed and his breathing was slower, despite the increase in his movement. Naruto did his best to dodge around the attacks and avoid the enraged teen but soon he came to conclusion that it would be far too dangerous to not stop Black Star.

"Guess I have to end this." Naruto growled as he leapt off some nearby buildings to get some height "Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Ryutsuisen(Dragon Hammer Slash)!" Slashing downward while flipping the blade so he wouldn't kill the showoff. Using all of his weight Naruto managed to land a blow to Black Star's head that knocked him unconscious, forcing him to collapse on the ground.

"I'm sorry about that." Tsubaki apologized as she ran over.

"No worries. That was one of the hardest training sessions that I have had in ages." Naruto grinned.

Maka continued to teach Naruto until Kid was able to stand again and took an interest in the blonde. He first got Naruto a pair of guns that were similar to what the Thompson Sisters turned into and began teaching him the forms and attacks that he used, but he was a hard taskmaster.

"NO!" Kid shouted "It must be perfectly symmetrical!"

"What's wrong with the way I was doing it?" Naruto asked.

"It must be perfect! You cannot use Shinigami Techniques with such a crude and unelegant style! Symmetry is Order and Order must be maintained!" Kid shouted at him. Naruto only sighed and continued practicing, focusing on making the forms perfect enough for Kid to let him move on to the next one. While Naruto was trained by Kid and Maka he made sure to practice his kenjutsu and do the exercises that his sensei's had given him, finding them to be challenging but not to the point where he couldn't do them. Once Maka had told him that he had learned everything that she could teach him Proffesor Stein stepped in, teaching him about how to use his chakra in new ways. The first was to use the Soul Authority attack.

"You must create an unbalance in your hands when you use this technique, though once you have gotten better you can create it from anywhere in your body." Stein explained. Naruto nodded as he tried to use only his own chakra to do it but only succeeded to create a slight burst of chakra.

_"Mix our chakra's." Kyubi advised._

_"Will that work?" Naruto asked._

_"It just might, or it might blow off your arm. Not quite sure which." Kyubi replied._

Naruto prayed that this would work and mixed the chakra's creating a jolt of electricity from the inbalance as he struck. Stein nodded at this and had him practice it more. After three days of this Stein moved on to altering the preception of his chakra. By fluctuating it in different ways Naruto could make himself harder to track by those that knew how to track chakra.

"In essence you have to constantly fluctuate it or they will pick up on you and find you. This is a good way to move around enemies that have the same ability as myself and Maka." Stein explained as Naruto sat and focused on the constant shifting. It had been three months since he had arrived and he again started feeling the tug that he knew meant that it would be best to leave, but before he could he needed to complete one last thing. During his time here he had picked up several different things from the shops in town, including what was called a MP3 player. He had put various songs on there, including some that Soul had written. Walking back into the manor he found Kid sitting in one of the lounges reading a book and he approached the young Shinigami.

"Hey Kid?" Naruto began "I could use your help with something."

"What might that be?" Kid asked.

"I've travelled a lot and I'd like to make an outfit that incorporates everywhere I've been." Naruto began "So I was wondering if you could help me out."

"Of course! We shall make a perfect outfit, perfect in it's symmetry!" Kid exclaimed, causing Naruto to sweatdrop. The entire process took a month, with twenty eight of the days planning it out and two actually making it. Once finished Naruto said his farewells to everyone, just catching Soul, Maka, Black Star and Tsubaki before they left.

"Well it's been a pleasure working with all of you." Naruto smiled as he approached them.

"You're leaving?" Maka asked.

"Yeah. I need to get home, I've been away for way too long." he shrugged.

"Well if you ever come back make sure to stop by." Soul replied "Now hate to cut this short but we have an extra credit assignment to do."

"Best of luck, who's the target?"

"Some cut throat called Sonson J." Soul shrugged as he got on the motorcycle "Well best of luck, and keep it cool."

"Will do." Naruto nodded as the four left, Black Star giving him the thumbs up.

"Well I suppose that it's time to go, hopefully home." Naruto sighed as he popped his headphones in and started the jutsu, opening the gateway.


	5. Homecoming

_AN* Well here is the newest chapter, I will try to post a new chapter at least once a week but I make no guarntees with the holiday season coming up. As usual I own nothing, and also keep those reviews coming, I love hearing your opinions and for all of you who have asked for longer chapters i am working on making them longer but it's going to take some time to get them to a proper length._

_Homecoming_

This time in the pathway there were no new pictures and they moved with incredible speed. Before they had anytime to even think about what was going on they appeared right where they had left off, with no time having passed. Iruka and Mizuki were shocked. One second Naruto had been sucked into a portal and the next he appeared before them again taller then before and in a new outfit. Naruto now wore black pants, made from the hakama he had worn in Kenshin's world, with his sword on his left side. Above the sword was a handgun with another on the other side, both within easy reach. He wore a black shirt that was given to him by Kid, and the black long coat from Ryōzanpaku that had been tailored to now say Kitsune Storm on the back. Coming out of a pocket were headphones that led up to his ears where Naruto was actually singing along to the song playing.

"Death the kid you know how it is, hate to dismiss any mistake  
If it ain't right then you must be kidding  
jokes mislead because you are now slipping  
Oblique mind then I give a fix simply blast it  
it ain't a trick just one click then the second click  
rest is oh my goodness you're history  
it ain't a mystery to entry just that I'm not so intrigued  
don't get it wrong son I'm a sweet treat  
bang bang bang bang have a nice dream" he was singing as Mizuki and Iruka sweatdropped.

"NARUTO!" Iruka shouted as Mizuki decided to kill the distracted blond, throwing a windmill shuriken at him. As the bladed weapon closed in Naruto disappeared from sight. Looking up they saw him upside down with his guns out, aimed at Mizuki.

"Bang bang bang bang, Have a Nice Dream." he grinned as fired. The gun shot off chakra bullets that pounded into the traitor, sending him flying from the tree and into the ground. Landing Naruto stopped his music and looked up at Iruka.

"Yo, long time no see." he grinned. Iruka was stunned. Not only had Naruto just dealt with Mizuki like he was nothing but he was now standing just a head shorter then he was, easily taller then most of the other genin.

"Naruto, what happened? One minute you were gone and the next, you're like this?"

"Really? How long was I gone for?"

"No more then ten seconds."

"Whoa. To me I must have been gone for almost three years." Naruto mused as he grabbed the scroll and looked at the last jutsu, the one that started all of this "I'm not sure what that jutsu is called but it definitely is helpful."

"Naruto. We need to go see the Hokage right now."

"Ok. I'd sure like to see Jiji again." Naruto grinned as he rolled up the scroll and let Iruka tie up Mizuki. Once done they headed for the Hokage tower where Sarutobi Hizuren was shocked at Naruto's new look, especially since he had seen him no more then two hours ago.

"Why do I have the feeling that this is going to be a long night?" he sighed as Naruto handed him the forbidden scroll. Naruto then gave a quick summarization of what happened to him and his skill set now, which intrigued the old Hokage to no end.

"So Naruto, you were tricked into doing these things, and acted to right the situation once you realized it. So we won't do anything to punish you, and since you seemed to have grown up quiet a bit on your travels it is safe to say that you are now officially a genin of Konaha." Sarutobi smiled as he took out a leaf headband and handed it to Naruto who quickly dismantled it and used it as a belt buckle.

"Kid would kill me if I messed with the symmetry of this any more then I already have." he explained as he adjusted it.

"As long as it is showing you can wear it as you please. Now remember you need to be at the academy at 10 A.M. tomorrow morning." Sarutobi smiled as his surrogate grandson left to go celebrate his promotion with Iruka at the one place that would accept him, Ichiraku Ramen. Sarutobi sat at his desk, making the sign that he wanted his ANBU present.

"Yes Hokage-sama?"

"I want you to find out who placed those seals on Naruto. Once you have tracked down who it is alert me at once."

"Understood." the ANBU agents nodded as they disappeared.

The next day Naruto walked through the streets of Konaha, enjoying being back and barely noticing the looks people were giving him. A lot of them were still the angry looks that he had received most of his life but a good amount were of shock and others were drooling over the new blond shinobi. Walking into the school he found his way to the room and he saw that there were three empty seats. The first was next to Sasuke Uchiha, who Naruto remembered was still being an emo over his entire clan being killed by his brother. The next seat was next to that one, and the last one was next to Hinata. Naruto made a quick survey of the room, noting that first Kiba was asking Hinata out on a date and she seemed to not want to, and that only two other people were missing and he knew what would happen if still stood there for much longer. So moving before he heard the stampede coming from the hallway, he used his enhanced speed to appear next to Hinata and take the seat and before Kiba could continue to pester her Naruto tapped her shoulder.

"Hey Hinata-chan." he smiled causing the shy Hyuga to blush madly and then faint.

"Should have seen that coming." he sighed.

"What are you doing here dead last? This is for shinobi that passed." he grinned.

"I did." Naruto grinned as he showed him the headband.

"No way. You must have made that yourself." he laughed "No way a failure like you could have passed the test!". Now Naruto had one thing that pissed him off more then anything else, and that was people laughing at him. Normally he tolerated it, but now he knew that he didn't have to tolerate things that were just hurting. So now he did the one thing no one ever expected him to do. He faded from sight, appearing behind Kiba with his guns drawn.

"Care to try this again?" he asked as Kiba tried to make sense of what had just happened "Because I have two friends here just dieing to let loose."

At this Kiba decided to make a hasty retreat and move away from the blond who was caring dual guns, taking his new seat next to Sasuke, allowing Shino to move away from the sleeping Shikamaru and into the now unoccupied seat to Hinata's right.

"That was most interesting Uzumaki-san." Shino noted.

"Just call me Naruto." he smiled "and after last night, I've decided it's time for a change."

"Well that is understandable. However I am curious as to how you passed."

"Extra credit." Naruto grinned as he put a head phone in his right ear and had the left one out so he could listen to everything else. The classroom had returned to normal as everyone got over Naruto's outburst except Kiba who was still muttering about what the blond had done. Not two seconds after the class had calmed down Sakura and Ino came charging into the room.

"HA! I win Ino-pig!" Sakura shouted as she walked over to where Kiba was sitting "MOVE MUTT! I want to sit next to Sasuke-kun!"

"Fine..." he sighed after the terror wore off. Once she was seated Ino stopped and looked up at Naruto.

"Hey forehead. Isn't that Naruto sitting by Hinata?"

"Couldn't be..." she trailed off as she looked up and saw that the blond was sitting up there bobbing his head to the music he was listening to. Sakura was shocked by this and along with Ino walked up to confront the blond about this. Once they got up there he was singing along to a song that neither of them recognized.

"If it ain't proper it's incomplete  
making me shiver because you lacking heat  
stop taking chances it's real steep  
watch when you sleep because my glocks creep" he sang bobbing his head.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked "If you're here to ask me out again then just go home because..."

"Dammit woman, just shut the hell up!" he exclaimed, shocking the class again "It's just getting to the good part!

Not enough for me to satisfy  
any mistakes let's clarify  
let's put in on the classified  
find the bad and boom bye-bye  
Do it together with my entourage  
placing you head in the back of garage  
have a little sale and sell you cheap  
so please get out I'm out of your league you know  
you still don't understand the range that you stay in  
I ain't playin'  
No more tradin losing it ain't easy to get back  
you know what I'm sayin  
hit your case with a big back slap  
click the gat and go bla bla bla  
everything i touch will go platinum  
somehow people around me clappin it yep"

"BAKA!" Sakura shouted as she tried to punch him. Naruto caught her punch and looked at her, KI leaking out.

"Interrupt my music again and you're going to wish you were dead." He said slowly "Now let me pause this and we can try and talk like a civilized person and a deranged fan girl." The entire class laughed at this point but Sakura and Ino were furious.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!"

"He passed his examination." Iruka said before things got out of hand "Now everyone get to your seats." Glaring at Naruto, Ino and Sakura went back to their seats as Hinata looked up, finally awake.

"_I just had the best dream... Naruto-kun came and stopped Kiba from asking me out on a date and he called me Hinata-chan..."_ Hinata thought as she looked right and saw Shino sitting there and then left and saw Naruto bobbing his head. Hinata instantly turned red realizing that is wasn't a dream. Iruka was giving a speech about how each of them now had more responsibility and that they had to represent their village to the best of their ability. Naruto of course didn't care, listening to the ending of the song, continuing to bob his head until it ended, right as Iruka started team assignments. Naruto ignored most of the teams until her reached team 7.

"Team 7 is Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kiba Inuzuka, your jonin sensei is Kakashi Hatake." This earned a cheer from Sakura and moans of defeat from most of the fan girls.

"Team 8 is Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuga and Naruto Uzumaki, your jonin sensei is Kurenai Yuhei." Hinata instantly blushed, knowing that Naruto was on her team, while Naruto grinned at this, leaning back and offering Hinata a headphone for her right ear.

"Want to listen?" he asked.

"Umm." she trailed off.

"It's ok if you don't." he shrugged. Not wanting to disappoint her crush she took the headphone and put it in, listening to the odd song. As she listened she started bobbing her head as well to the song and found that lyrics were indeed catchy.

"Where did you get this?" she finally asked.

"From a friend of mine. The song is literally his."

"He wrote it?"

"No. He doesn't have that ability, but a friend of ours did."

"I'd like to meet them."

"Maybe someday." he grinned as the song ended and their sensei walked in.

"Team 8 follow me!" she called out as she looked at the students remaining. Following her out they were sitting outside under a tree waiting for their sensei to speak.

"Alright. I suppose we should start by introducing ourselves. Since I'm your sensei I will go first. My name is Kurenai Yuuhi, my likes are genjutsu and romance novels, my dislikes are ignorant people, and lazy people, my hobbies are creating new genjutsu and gardening, and I currently have no dream for the future."

"My name is Shino Aburame, my likes are bugs and understanding people, my dislikes are thoughtless people, my hobbies include cataloging bugs and learning about new types, and my dream is to become an excellent shinobi like my entire clan."

"_Well it's easy to tell what he likes. Still have to get him out of his shell more." Kurenai thought_

"M..my name is H..Hinata Hyuga, m...my likes are ..." turns red while looking at Naruto " and gardening, my dislikes a...are my clans hatred for the branch family and mean people, my h... hobbies are gardening and practicing my j...jyuken, my dream is t...to unite my clan... and..." turns red again looking at Naruto.

"_She has a crush on Naruto, and it is pretty serious, could either be bad or good. Have to see how this plays out."_

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, my likes are my precious people, training and listening to music, my dislikes are loud obnoxious fan girls, and people who laugh at me, my hobbies are training and learning new things, and my dream is to become the Hokage someday and if not then to be the best shinobi possible."

"_Well he's blunt but somethings changed about him. Must be the reason why the Hokage changed the team line ups."_

"Alright. Tomorrow there will be one last test to see if all of you are ready to be genin. Meet me at training ground 8 tomorrow morning, and I would advise you not to eat breakfast, since you will likely throw up." Kurenai said as she shunsuied away, leaving the three sitting there.

"So who wants to go get lunch and make a plan for tomorrow?" Naruto asked as he stood up, offering a hand to Hinata, who turned beet red and accepted it _"Man I've got to get her to stop blushing so much."_

"_You're a shinobi, not a miracle worker Kit."_

"_Shut up."_

"That seems like a good idea." Shino nodded as Hinata nodded as well, not trusting her voice right now.

"Great, Hinata-chan, you can pick the restaurant." he grinned. Hinata was shocked that for one Naruto wasn't taking control and leading them to Ichiraku ramen, and that he kept calling her Hinata-chan.

"O...Ok." she nodded leading them to a small restaurant that dealt with shinobi mostly. After seeing the leaf symbols they were admitted with minimal fuss and taken to a small booth, with Shino on one side and Hinata and Naruto on the other. Once they ordered Naruto asked them if they knew anything about their sensei.

"I don't. But my parents might." Shino noted.

"I... I know a bit." Hinata stammered.

"Well go ahead then." Naruto nodded with a smile.

"W... well I... I know she uses genjutsu... and that she doesn't have t...too much taijutsu s...skills."

"Alright then. All we need to do is to then break her genjutsu and then try and get her into a close quarters match." Naruto nodded.

"Seems like a plan." Shino nodded as their food arrived, or more precisely Naruto and Hinata's food, while Shino just had a drink with a bendy straw so his mouth wouldn't be seen. Once they were done eating Shino left and Naruto offered to walk Hinata home, causing her to blush even more then normal.

"B... B..But you don't live near me." she sputtered.

"So?" he asked confused "I don't mind."

"A...Alright." With that Naruto walked with her back to the Hyuga estate, stopping at the gates.

"Well I will see you tomorrow Hinata-chan." he grinned as he left.

"Good bye... Naruto-kun." she whispered as she went inside, wishing she had said that to his face.

_AN* Yes I used the Death the Kid's theme here. I have had that song stuck in my head for weeks and so decided to use it in this, for both the epicness of it and for some slight hilarity. I am also open to suggestions for other songs to have pop up in here, so just place your request in a review for me and I will look into it._


	6. Shinobi

_AN* Well since this one was rather short I figured I could post it today instead of late tomorrow. I have also been looking at your song requests and am hoping for some more, but so far I am interested in a few of them. Also keep the reviews coming, I do read them and try to fix what needs to be fixed._

_Shinobi_

The next day the three genin were sitting at the training ground, next to three stumps quietly making plans as they waited for Kurenai to arrive. It wasn't until twenty minutes after the time she had said to be there that she arrived, carrying two bells and three bentos.

"Sorry I'm late. Had to wait for the rice to finish cooking." she sighed.

"It's ok." Naruto nodded.

"Now I will explain the test. You will have one hour to try and get these bells from me."

"B... but there are only two bells." Hinata pointed out.

"That's because one of you will be tied to the stump while the rest of us eat in front of you. And if you don't manage to get a bell then you will be sent back to the academy. Now when I say so, the test will begin." Kurenai grinned as she took out a timer and set it for one hour. After setting the timer she told them to start as Hinata and Shino took off into the trees while Kitsune faced down Kurenai.

"You aren't going to hide?"

"No. I don't like hiding, sneaking around and all of that. I prefer to deal with things head on." Naruto grinned as his hand gripped his katana.

"_According to his file, he doesn't have any sort of kenjutsu training, so why does he have that sword, and where did he get, let alone learn to use those guns."_

"Ready or not, here I come." Naruto said as he took off, moving at a speed that Kurenai thought only jonin could move at.

"Hells viewing gate." Kurenai muttered as the genjutsu started. Naruto noticed right away and quickly drew his guns while leaping into the air, firing several shots into the ground, forcing Kurenai to move back and away from the blind shots.

"_What is he doing?"_ she thought as he stopped and broke the illusion.

"Nice try." he grinned as he holstered the guns and charged forward again, drawing his katana "Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Doryusen(Ground Dragon Slash)" Swinging the katana into the earth, causing massive chunks of it and bursts and wind to shoot at the jonin who barely dodged the attack. During all of this Hinata and Shino were getting into position. They had discussed this plan, and both knew that if they weren't ready when Naruto was then the whole plan could come undone and Naruto would take the hit, not them. Naruto was now trying to slash Kurenai who was dodging, trying to get another genjutsu on the genin but he was to quick and would interrupt her at every chance. Soon he stopped and drew one of the guns, shooting the bells off of her as Hinata and Shino charged forward, grabbing them and running as Naruto sheathed his sword and took out his other gun.

"Bang bang bang bang, have a nice dream." he grinned as he unleashed chakra bullet hell on Kurenai creating a diversion as the other two got away. Once he stopped he holstered his guns and put his hands on his head as Kurenai appeared behind him.

"That was brave of you." she noted.

"It was our only chance at besting you." he shrugged as he heard the timer go off "And now the penalty." With that Naruto was tied to a stump while the others ate in front of him, except Hinata who didn't eat all of her food, and once Kurenai looked away sneaked him some food.

"Alright, now I have something to tell all of you. You pass." she smiled.

"What?" Shino asked confused.

"This test was to see how well you work as a team. Which is very good, and the last part was to see if you understand what being a shinobi truly means. We always look out for our own above everything else. Even if the mission must be delayed we will make sure we do everything possible for our comrades. Hinata did just that by giving Naruto food." Kurenai smiled.

"I thought so." Naruto grinned "This test was set up so that we would be forced to seclude a member of our group, and thus make us compete against each other. That's why I removed the competition earlier by saying I would be the one who gets the penalty while they complete the objective if that was what was going to happen."

"So you did plan all of that. I am impressed Naruto. But I am interested as to the new weaponry."

"Ask Jiji about that. He knows."

"Fair enough. Alright Shino, why don't you head home, Hinata you untie Naruto since you fed him. I'm going to tell the Hokage that you pass and are ready for missions." Kurenai smiled as Shino nodded and left, leaving the two other members of team 8 alone. As Hinata worked on untied Naruto, the blond was currently thinking about the events of the last two days.

"You're free." Hinata said.

"Thanks." Naruto grinned.

"I... It was nothing."

"No, not just cutting me loose, though I do appreciate that, I meant for feeding me earlier, and trusting my plan."

"Oh..." she nodded.

"Yeah. Not many people trust me, so when you said you agreed to the plan it meant the world to me." he smiled "I'm happy to know you Hinata-chan."

"I...I'm h..happy too..." she stammered turning a new shade of red. Naruto grinned at seeing this and kissed her cheek before he stood up.

"Thanks for everything." he said as she fainted. Smiling he picked her up and decided that since he couldn't take her to the Hyuga compound it would be easier to just head to his apartment since it was nearby. Leaping up to the roofs he arrived at his apartment, and walked in, thankful he had cleaned it when he had gotten back two days ago. Laying Hinata down on the couch he went into the kitchen, getting water boiling to make tea and setting out two cups. Once he was all set, having the tea leaves in the water for the right amount of time he walked over to the couch where he noted that Hinata was now awake and trying to figure out where she was.

"Your in my apartment." he said as he set down a cup of tea "You fainted on me and since it would be weird walking to the other side of Konaha carrying you I figured that here would be best."

"I... I see. I'm s... sorry i... if I've in...inconvenienced you..."

"Nah, it was no big deal. Besides now you finally know what the inside of my apartment looks like." he smiled noting that her eyes got big at this "Yes I know you followed me. Didn't figure out is was you until two days ago. And no I am not bothered by this. I actually think it's kind of cute."

Hinata was stunned at this. Her crush knew she had basically stalked him and he wasn't bothered by this, and actually seemed to be interested in her.

"T...Th...Then y...you're not re... rejecting m...me..."

Now it was Naruto's turn to be stunned. He had pieced it all together while he had been away and once he had he realized that Sakura hadn't like him at all and that to continue to moon after her would only cause him more pain then anything else.

"Of course not." he smiled gently as he moved to sit next to her, wrapping an arm around her, earning a squeak of surprise "Honestly I think you're one of the best people in Konahagakure, and I'm happy to get this chance to get to know you better."

Hinata was fighting the urge to faint right now, but was refusing to now that Naruto had basically confessed his feeling for her. Her face still red she looked at him and saw that while his eyes were on her they also had a bit of a far away look in them.

"Thank you... Naruto-kun..." she said, trying to muster all of her courage. Naruto grinned and squeezed her a bit in the one armed hug.

"Well let's finish the tea and then get you home." he smiled as he moved his cup over so that he wouldn't have to leave his spot next to Hinata. Hinata was on cloud 9 at this point, not only had Naruto not rejected her but he actually seemed interested in her. She doubted she could be happier right now, and didn't even notice when she had finished her tea and Naruto was walking with her out of the apartment.

"You don't have to walk me home." she smiled.

"There are a lot of things I don't have to do, that I do anyway." he grinned "For example I didn't have use my guns against Kurenai-sensei but I did."

"Still..."

"So don't worry about it." he grinned as he walked with her to her home.

In the Hokage's office he listened to the jonin say how their charges had done.

"Team 1, remedial training."

"Team 2, the same."

"Team 3, remedial."

"Team 4, going back."

"Team 5, needs remedial training."

"Team 6, same as the other five." Finally Kakashi looked up from his orange book.

"Team 7, passes." he nodded. All of the jonin present looked at the masked jonin in complete shock.

"You're joking." Asuma grinned.

"I'm not. They are rough around the edges but they can work together when push comes to shove." Kakashi nodded.

"Very well. Next."

"Team 8 passes." Kurenai smiled "And with flying colors. I don't know what happened to Naruto, but he is a one man army."

"Really?" Kakashi asked.

"He managed to break my genjutsu quickly, and even more he realized exactly what happened when he was caught and attacked, forcing me back while he broke the illusion and letting the others to get in position." Kurenai grinned "He has potential."

"Very well, since Team 9 is still in rotation, so Team 10?"

"Team 10 passes. Though they do still need a lot of work." Asuma replied.

"Very well. The three genin teams that passed are allowed to start taking D rank missions, you are all dismissed." Sarutobi nodded as all but the three jonin who's teams passed left "Yes?"

"I'm sure that all of us are going to ask the same question." Kurenai began.

"Why did you change the team lineups? We thought that if Naruto did pass that he would be sent to Kakashi for training." Asuma asked.

"I did this for a very good reason." the old hokage sighed "Last night Naruto had an interesting experience, that changed him..."

"You mean the getup?" Kakashi asked "The build and the weapons. We all have seen his file from the academy, and it never said he showed any signs of using kenjutsu, or guns for that matter."

"I do mean that. He has changed a great deal. What I am about to tell you is an S class secret, even greater then the fact that the Kyubi is sealed inside of him."

"Alright..." the three nodded. The Hokage then explained to them what Naruto had told him, and how he was now far from the average genin.

"If he is that strong then I think it might be best to test him to see if he is ready to become a chunin, if not a jonin." Kakashi noted.

"Not yet. He is strong and he does know this, but he needs to learn about teamwork and how important it is to work together. For now leave him as a genin." the hokage nodded.

"Very well. Though he seems to understand it enough as it is." Kurenai nodded as she and Asuma left.

"Sir, still why did you let Kurenai train him?" Kakashi asked.

"Because he is already beyond you in kenjutsu and taijutsu. The only areas he needs are ninjutsu and genjutsu. And while you are a great ninjutsuist, Kurenai is a great one as well and in genjutsu Kurenai has you beat."

"I see..."

"Don't worry about it. It is for his own benefit, not because I doubt your ability."

"I understand." he nodded as he left, leaving the Hokage. Sarutobi stood up, looking out the window, wondering about the jutsu that Naruto had used to get this awesome power, and wondering what the cost of such a powerful technique was.


	7. Genin Brawl

_AN* So sorry for the delay on this. I was away from my precious labtop for chirstmas break, enjoying my new psp, with KH:BBS. Anyways I hope all of you enjoyed your holiday and that you enjoy this new chapter as much, if not more then that. As always read and review._

_Genin Brawl_

For two weeks Team 8 was training, practicing their abilities and testing their limits. However it was soon discovered that Naruto's limits were far beyond anything they thought. He did sprints in seconds, setting records throughout the history of Konaha, managed to spar using only his legs and still beat Hinata and Shino, and using only his guns managed to show he wasn't limited to only shooting. It was the reason why Kurenai talked to Kakashi, Asuma and Gai about having a small tournament among their genin, to test their abilities. They set up the date and once it arrived the four teams stood at training ground 7.

"Alright." Kakashi began being on time for once "We are here today to have a little sparring match between the four genin teams that are here. Each of you will be put into tournament line up and from there you will face an opponent until we decide who the winner is. There are no real rules, and try to avoid actually hurting each other too much."

"Sounds like fun." Naruto grinned.

"Alright here is the lineup." Kurenai replied "First up is Ino versus Sakura." The two rivals glared at each other as they prepared to fight.

"Get ready for a boring fight." Naruto sighed as he put his headphones in and started listening to music as the two started to fight. Both of the girls started out by throwing shuriken at each other, and then creating bushin to try and distract the other, that ultimately failed. In the end it turned into what Naruto promptly called a "Bitch Fight" as the two were hitting, scratching each other, pulling hair and in general being very humiliating.

"Can I please just shoot them and say it was a draw?" Naruto asked Kurenai who gave him a smile and shook her head. Finally Sakura got in a strong left hook, knocking the blond senseless.

"HOSHA! I WIN!" Sakura shouted.

"That was the most pathetic thing I have ever seen." Naruto sighed.

"Next up is Kiba versus Sasuke." Kakashi grinned as his two students glared at each other before getting ready to fight. Contrary to the last fight, this one was fast paced and nerve racking as the two clashed with Sasuke using ninjutsu and Kiba using Akamaru and his families Shikyaku no jutsu(Four Legs Technique) and Gatsuga(Dual Piercing Fang). As the two fought Naruto was noting what each of them could do and decided that neither were too serious a threat, but enough of a challenge to show off a bit. Eventually Sasuke managed to get in a strong kick to Kiba's face, sending him flying as he finished his jutsu.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu(Great Fireball technique)!" he shouted as the massive fire hit the Inuzuka, charring him a bit, but not hurting him too much.

"Winner Sasuke." Kakashi nodded, knowing that Sasuke had indeed held back enough to not kill the boy.

"Next is Shikamaru versus Hinata." Kurenai said as the lazy genius and the Hyuga heiress prepared to fight. Hinata struck first, trying to disable the lazy genin, but he simply dodged around her attacks until he took out a kunai and held it in his mouth as he sprung his trap.

"Kagemane no jutsu(Shadow imitation technique)" he said as the technique caught the Hyuga and he made them walk into the center together, where his drawn kunai gave him the win.

"It was a good effort Hinata-chan." Naruto smiled.

"Thank you Naruto-kun." Hinata replied returning the smile.

"Our fourth fight is Neji versus Lee." Kakashi stated as the two genin from Team Gai prepared to battle. The two were opposites as Neji made a comment that Lee wouldn't beat him this time, as it was his fate to be below the Hyuga prodigy. Naruto scoffed at this and wished the miniature version of Gai luck, and told him not too hold back against this stuck up jerk. The fight started with a bang as Lee attacked with a swift kick to the Hyuga's head, that he quickly blocked and struck several points. This continued for several minutes until Lee stopped and doubled over in pain.

"Give up." Neji demanded "You cannot win."

"Never." Lee grinned.

"Winner Neji." Kakashi said, ending the fight before things got out of hand. Growling to himself Naruto looked at Lee and knew he had been holding back, saving his best moves for another battle.

"Next is Tenten versus Shino." Kurenai said as the two walked out to fight. Tenten had several small scrolls on her and two medium sized scrolls on her back, and she was grinning as Shino prepared to fight her. Once the match started Shino sent out a burst of his bugs to test her defense while he watched and prepared. As his bugs drew close he saw that she had tossed something to the ground. The small sphere hit the ground and in a cloud of blue gas she disappeared, from even his bugs. Frowning Shino tried to find her but his senses were of no use.

"Finished." Tenten said as she appeared from above with a scroll ready and aimed at him. Opening it she unleashed a massive barrage or weaponry that landed all around the bug user, trapping him.

"Boom." Tenten grinned, pointing to the tags on the weapons.

"Winner Tenten." Kurenai nodded "And now for the last fight of the first round. Naruto versus Choji."

The blond entered the arena, looking at the large friend who was grinning at him.

"I hope you aren't trying to scare me with all of those new weapons." Choji grinned.

"Of course not. I wouldn't insult you like that." Naruto grinned as he rolled his shoulders. With the signal to start Choji unleashed his attack Nikudan Sensha(Human bullet tank) causing him to expand his bodies size and pull his arms, legs and head inside while rolling at a high speed towards Naruto.

"This is going to hurt." Naruto sighed as he reared back for a punch "APAPUNCH!" shouting that he unleashed a powerful punch, sending Choji flying away, crashing into several trees.

"Winner Naruto." Kakashi said, before the blonde could decide to do any more damage.

"Whoa." Choji said as his eyes stopped spinning in his head "What did he hit me with?"

"A punch." Ino stated bluntly, confused at what happened.

"Neji, did he use any chakra?" Tenten asked.

"None. He simply used all of his muscles strength and punched." Neji said, deactivating his byakugan.

"Alright Sakura versus Sasuke." Kakashi said, knowing what would happen.

"I forfeit. I can't beat Sasuke-kun." Sakura said.

"Very well. Then next is Shikamaru versus Neji." Kakashi said again.

"No way. I won't win." Shikamaru sighed as he laid back, staring at the clouds.

"Then it's Tenten versus Naruto." he sighed as the blond entered the field again, looking at Tenten with calculating eyes, eyes that made her shiver.

"Whenever you are ready." Kakashi said as the blond gripped his katana.

"_So he plans on using kenjutsu."_ Tenten thought as she gripped one of the smaller scrolls. Naruto thought didn't move, watching her with that same predatory gaze that sent shivers down her spine.

"No choice then." she grinned as she opened the scroll, taking out her own katana and charging at the blond who watched her for a few more moments until he disappeared from sight, she was down on the ground.

"What just happened?" Ino asked in shock as Naruto reappeared, his katana drawn and his eyes looking cold and hard.

"Is that katana of yours just for show Tenten?" he asked. This surprised her since the blond she had seen earlier had been cheerful and happy. He now seemed cold and ruthless, like an assassin.

"No." She replied as she leveled her blade and attacked him again. This time tracking his movements a little, and blocking the first strike.

"Good. This would be boring if that had been your best." he replied as he spun on his heel and continued the strikes, forcing her back slowly but surely. Tenten was worried now, Naruto wasn't letting up an inch and was actually close to disarming her.

"Let's stop playing games." he sighed as he moved away "Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Ryukansen(Rising Wind Dragon Slash)!" Lunging forward he unleashed a slash at her, twisting in the process, turning it into a horizontal slash. Once he landed Tenten collapsed, a massive bruise on her back.

"He flipped the blade." Asuma noted.

"He's very fast. Most ANBU wouldn't be able to keep up with those movements. Especially if he intended to kill." Kakashi noted.

"The flames of his youth burn bright if can defeat such strong opponent's with little difficulty." Gai said.

"The final fight is a three way battle, between Sasuke, Neji and Naruto." Kurenai said as the three faced off against each other.

"Let's make this interesting." Naruto said to the two.

"How so?" Neji asked.

"You two versus me. Otherwise this will be too easy." Naruto grinned.

"You are way to confident dope." Sasuke grinned as he looked at him "I'll wipe the floor with you myself."

"Pride goes before the fall." Naruto replied.

"I do not need the assistance either. It is my destiny to stand above you." Neji replied.

"Very well then." Naruto nodded as the match started and he placed his headphones in his ears, Bang Bang Bang Bang Have A Nice Dream playing. The two other boys targeted each other first, hoping to disable the one they deemed the larger threat first before they battled the dead last. Naruto however wasn't happy being ignored and had taken his guns out.

" It ain't a mystery to entry just that I'm not so intrigued  
don't get it wrong son I'm a sweet treat  
bang bang bang bang have a nice dream" he sang as he started firing massive amounts of bullets at the pair fighting, forcing them to separate " If it ain't proper it's incomplete  
making me shiver because you lacking heat  
stop taking chances it's real steep  
watch when you sleep because my glocks creep"

The two were now very annoyed that the blond wouldn't wait quietly as they fought so they turned their attention to him attacking him with kunai as he leaned around them, still using his pinkies to shot the guns at the two, forcing them to dodge his aim.

"Whoa." Kiba whistled "Dead last has some interesting techniques."

"They should belong to Sasuke-kun." Sakura muttered as she watched Naruto continue to fire at the two, leaning around any attacks that the two would throw at him.

"Damn, this will never end if we can't get close." Sasuke growled.

"Oh, you want to fight close quarters?" Naruto asked as he flipped through the air, using his guns like tonfas, hitting the Uchiha in the ribs, sending him flying as he continued dodging the palm thrusts made by Neji.

"Too slow." Naruto grinned as he kicked the prodigy in the stomach, sending him flying, followed by several shots from the guns. Turning he dodged a punch from Sasuke and the following knee, and before Sasuke could start the next attack he flip over his head, his gun aimed below him.

"Bang bang bang bang have a nice dream, bang bang bang bang have a nice dream, bang bang bang bang have a nice dream, bang bang bang bang have a nice dream." Naruto sang as he continued to fire into Sasuke, rising higher into the air until he stopped and flipped so he landed feet first on top of Sasuke.

"Winner Naruto." Kurenai grinned as the other genin were shocked at the outcome, with the exception of Hinata and Shino.

"How did he do that?" Kiba asked.

"Practice." Hinata answered.

"But he never used those weapons when we were in the academy." he complained.

"Too bad." Naruto noted as he walked over to Hinata and gave her a quick hug "Now who wants to go get something to eat to celebrate me destroying this years and last years rookie of the year?"

"You cheated." Sakura spat "Sasuke is way better then you!" Naruto just sighed at this as he looked at the other genin.

"So any takers?"

"Nope." Ino spat as she went to Sasuke's side.

"Can't." Kiba growled "Got to be home early today."

"I'll pass this time." Shikamaru replied.

"Same here. But thanks anyways." Choji smiled.

"I will also have to decline this time Naruto." Shino nodded.

"I will." Hinata smiled.

"I would enjoy your company my youthful friend!" Lee shouted.

"I'll come too." Tenten grinned.

"Well then I guess it's just us four." Naruto grinned as they walked off to a restaurant to celebrate. Once the other genin left the sensei's looked at each other.

"Well you see what I meant when I said that Naruto has changed since we observed him in the academy." Kurenai grinned.

"Yes. He has become stronger, and more restrained. You could tell from his movements that whoever taught him that kenjutsu, it was created for killing." Kakashi nodded "Not one that is easy to learn in a short time."

"And his usage of it is impressive. He times everything perfectly, so that he won't kill his allies, but still use the attacks full potential." Asuma nodded.

"And what of his other youthful fights. His skill in the art of taijutsu is incredible." Gai grinned "You are lucky to have such a youthful student Kurenai-san."

"He is strong, but it's like he's not even trying yet, like this is all just a warm up for him." she noted.

"It very well might be. Remember what the Hokage told us." Kakashi replied "He spent a great deal of time away, now that he is back he isn't challenged enough, it could lead to another Uchiha massacre, except this time the entire populace of Konaha."

"We should watch him for now. See how he acts around everyone, and then decide if we should do something to help him." Asuma nodded as the jonin left.

At the restaurant where Team 8 had first gone as a team they were sitting in the booth with Hinata and Naruto on one side and Lee and Tenten on another.

"So Naruto, what was that kenjutsu you used?" Tenten asked "It was really powerful."

"It's called Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. It is an ancient sword style that pits one against many. It is a killing art, one that is not easily learned, and not one easily used without taking life." Naruto replied.

"And you have mastered this?" Tenten asked earning a laugh from the blond.

"Not even close. I learned from someone who hadn't even mastered it himself, so I had to take what he could teach me. If I ever want to fully master it I have to go find his master." Naruto replied.

"So what was his name? Is he a shinobi?"

"His name was Himura Kenshin, and he wasn't a shinobi but a hitokiri."

"A what?" Lee asked.

"Assassin. He used his sword for Aku Soku Zan, or Swift Death to Evil." Naruto replied.

"Wow, do you think I could learn it?" Tenten asked.

"Why do you want to learn this?" Naruto asked after a few seconds, feeling like Kenshin.

"To become a strong kunochi, to be like my idol Tsunade Senju." she grinned.

"I'm sorry. But I cannot teach you."

"WHY?" she whined.

"Because this sword is what my sensei called the Black Ship on land. It is death for any who cross blades with it. I could teach you this, but there is a chance that it could be turned for evil, and that is why we always seek to understand the reason behind the seeking of knowledge. I won't teach you Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu, but I will spar with you all you like, teach you to be a better weapon user." Naruto replied.

"I see..." she trailed off.

"So Naruto, that punch you used in your first battle, what was that?" Lee asked.

"The Apapunch. It was one of my taijutsu sensei's best techniques." he grinned "And his most deadly since he doesn't understand the meaning of holding back."

"Wow. And how strong is yours compared to his?" Tenten asked.

"Maybe half as strong if I had to guess." he mused "But I can't be sure." Everyone simply stared at Naruto for this statement "What?"

"Naruto, what kind of people have you been training with?" Tenten asked worried about the blond.

"Lets put it this way. Most of them, normal doesn't apply." he laughed as their food was served. Once they finished eating they all went their separate ways for the day, with Naruto walking Hinata home, as he had for the past two months.

_AN* One thing I must say. The Naruto Wikia is one of the greatest aides to me in this. It has corrected sooo many techniques that I had misspelled or didn't know the name of. So if any of you who read this have a similar problem, search Naruto wikia and it will be one of the first two to show up. And on another note, thank you to everyone who has sent me a song request, I have enjoyed many of them, and will use the ones I like where ever I can fit them in in later chapters. However please do not stop sending them to me, as I am always looking for new songs to use._


	8. Nami no Kuni

_AN* And I am back. After that break I feel refreshed and ready to post more chapters. I will try to update as often as Ican, but with school starting again for me there might be longer gaps between postings. Anyways I do believe that this is the longest chapter yet, and hopefully they will all be close to this length. As always leave your reviews at the end, I always read what you have to say, no lie._

_Nami no Kuni_

"This is Orange Fox, I've spotted the target."

"White Eyes here, I am in position."

"This is Beetle King, I am ready as well."

"Alright team. Capture target."

With that the three members of team 8 leapt out, grabbing the horrid beast that had become known as Tora. As they were walking back Naruto was complaining, as usual about having to do this job.

"I swear if I have to catch this damn cat one more time I am shooting it from here to the Daimyou's palace." Naruto complained "I mean how many times have we done this mission?"

"We have completed it twenty times in the last three days." Shino sighed "And fifty times in the last week."

"See! And I know we caught it over a hundred times last month!"

"Listen, I know that this mission isn't exactly the most interesting mission out there..." Kurenai began.

"Interesting? More like massive pain in the ass!" Naruto yelled.

"Still, it is good practice for all of you." Kurenai sighed.

"I have to agree with Naruto-kun. This mission is more of a waste of time then it is worth." Hinata pointed out "We could be using this time to train or work on our teamwork instead of chasing around the Lady Daimyou's cat." Kurenai wisely choose to stop arguing with her genin team, since she knew that they were right, but no other team had wanted to take the job and she knew that the more often they did this, the easier it would be to catch Tora. Once they were back they handed over the cat and listened to Iruka listing off current missions available.

"We have painting fences, walking dogs, helping take rocks out of gardens, and..." a piercing yowl was heard followed by the Lady Daimyou shouting for Tora to come back "Catching Tora."

"You mean killing Tora." Naruto growled as he grabbed his guns "I'm going to make the Lady Daimyou a nice new purse, made of Tora."

"No Naruto." Sarutobi sighed "Iruka, I think that this team has done enough D rank missions, why not let them try their hand at a C."

"Well, it isn't normally allowed..." Iruka muttered.

"Well, we could send two squads, like say teams 7 and 8 on this mission." Sarutobi grinned as he opened a scroll "And it is an easy one, just escorting this man from here to his home in Nami no Kuni, and staying with him until he finishes building his bridge." Sarutobi read.

"Well that should be easy enough." Iruka nodded as he motioned for Team 7 to be let in along with the client. The client was an older man, who looked like a bit of a slob, and reeked of saki. As he looked about the room at the shinobi he thought it was a good idea to open his mouth.

"These are the people guarding me, they're mostly kids, and women. And I don't like the look of that blond one." he griped. Now as you can safely guess Naruto was in no mood to play nice, and fired two warning shots past the mans head before he could even blink.

"Go ahead, make another comment, see what happens." Naruto growled, keeping the guns leveled.

"Naruto, you need to calm down." Kurenai sighed as the blond finally lowered the guns "I'm sorry about my student, he has a bit of a temper when people decide to mock him."

"Ok..." the man said noting that the blond was not to be messed with.

"Don't worry sir, while they may be young each one of them is a strong shinobi." Kakashi promised as they prepared to leave.

"They better be. I'm Tazuna a famous bridge builder in Nami no Kuni." he boasted as they left. Two hours later they were on the road when Naruto noticed the puddle of water in the road. Drawing his guns he fired into the puddle scaring everyone there.

"What was that for?" Sakura shouted.

"Wait for it." Naruto grinned as he walked over and dragged two shinobi, who were unconscious out of the water "I don't like surprise shinobi on the road, especially when they are rouges."

"Well, it's good that you noticed that, but we were going to let them attack to see if they were after us." Kurenai said as Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"Whoops." he grinned as he finished tying the two up. A few minutes later the two Oni brothers woke up, seeing a large group in front of them they knew that they were in trouble.

"Ahh, they're awake." Naruto grinned as he looked at them "So gentlemen, depending on your answers I might not shoot you again."

"Naruto..." Kakashi warned.

"Let him do this." Kurenai said "Anko is looking for another intern at the I&T department and I promised I'd send someone." Kakashi sighed and watched as the blond had the two at gunpoint, waiting for their answers.

"You realize the longer you take the itchier my fingers are getting." he said.

"Do your worst you Konaha rat! We won't tell you anything!" one of the brothers yelled.

"Really now?" Naruto asked with a grin. Holstering his guns and cracking his knuckles he took out a small kit from his backpack and started going through the contents "No too bloody, don't have the right tools handy, Ahh perfect." Naruto then removed a small vial filled with a black liquid "Tell me gentlemen, have you ever heard of the Black Mamba? It's a very poisonous snake that can kill animals that are much larger then it, even most humans. What I have here is a concentrated dose of venom, enough to kill both of you. However I only have one antidote to this poison. So here is what is going to happen, I'm going to inject the both of you, and this venom works very quickly in this state, especially when injected directly into your blood stream, compliments of your carotid artery. So it basically means you have the next twenty minutes to start talking after I inject you." he grinned as he injected each brother, with the help of a Kage Bushin. The brothers at first didn't do anything trying to make sense of the situation that had just happened. Then they looked at each other, not knowing what to do, since neither of the two wanted to die, and only one could be saved.

"The clock is ticking away..." Naruto grinned as the two started arguing until finally they both said at the same time.

"Ok, we were sent to kill Tazuna!"

"Really? Explain more." Naruto grinned as the two started talking. They explained how Gato had hired them to go and kill the bridge builder along with any shinobi that he had managed to hire, then bring his head back as proof of a job completed.

"Well this is helpful. Kurenai-sensei, Kakashi-sensei what's the plan?" Naruto asked.

"Well, this is definitely a low A rank mission now, normally beyond the ability of a fresh genin team." Kakashi nodded.

"However we think that we should continue on, since it is obvious that Tazuna knew and simply couldn't afford anything higher, am I right?" Kurenai asked looking at the man.

"It's true. It's why the bridge is so important, once it's done Gato's hold on us will be broken." Tazuna nodded.

"Well then, we will go on and complete this mission, but once Nami has recovered we expect full payment for an A rank mission." Kakashi nodded as Tazuna nodded his thanks.

"HEY!" the brothers shouted.

"What?" Naruto asked looking at the two.

"What about the anti-venom!" they shouted.

"Oh that. I lied." Naruto grinned as he walked off "All I did was inject you with ink, so you might be sick for a few days while you sit in an ANBU jail cell." The brothers were in shock at this turn of events, they had been outwitted by a kid, and were now going to be taken to prison. The genin were shocked by this while Kurenai was restraining giggles and Kakashi just shook his head.

"Give that boy dango and he would be a male version of Anko." Kakashi sighed.

"No kidding. Anko-chan is going to love him." Kurenai giggled as they walked. Two days later they arrived at the ferry that would take them into Nami no Kuni and while they remained silent Naruto was on edge. As they disembarked and made their way on a forest path Kiba, trying to show off to Hinata, threw a kunai into a bush, scaring out a white rabbit.

"Kiba you idiot!" Sakura shouted as she hit him "You scared that rabbit!"

"_Hey Kit!"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_It's spring isn't it?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Why is that rabbit white then?"_

"DUCK!" Naruto shouted as a massive sword flew over their heads. Standing up Naruto saw the bandaged face of one of Kiri's most famous nin, Zabuza Momochi.

"Well well well. What have we here? My target protected by eight shinobi, and only one of them is in my Bingo book." Zabuza laughed "This is going to be fun." he laughed again as he sent a burst of KI at the group, scaring most of the other genin except Naruto who shrugged it off, returning his own, that was double of Zabuza's.

"Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-sensei." Naruto stated.

"Yes?" Kakashi asked.

"Leave him to me." Naruto replied, his eyes getting the cold look in them.

"Are you sure?" Kurenai asked.

"Without a doubt. This is the first real opponent I can fight without restraint. So it's best if you guard the others, make sure Zabuza doesn't try to pull a fast one." Naruto nodded.

"Alright." Kurenai nodded as Kakashi tried to find a way to protest this.

"Don't worry Kakashi-sensei. I know what I'm doing." Naruto replied. Kakashi only nodded as he stepped back, letting the blond face the bandaged traitor.

"So you're the one letting off all that KI. Thought it was another jonin nearby." Zabuza laughed.

"Don't underestimate me Zabuza-san. It may be your last mistake." Naruto replied as he grabbed his katana.

"So you know kenjutsu. I doubt that you are too good though."

"Famous last words." Naruto replied as he struck. Unleashing a quick draw he slashed at Zabuza, forcing the nin to grab his blade and leap off the tree it was imbedded in. As Naruto finished the attack the tree started to slide down, showing the damage done by the slash.

"Oh. So you do have some skill. " Zabuza grinned "Suiton: Kirigakure no jutsu(Hidden Mist technique)." This created a giant cloud of mist around them "Eight points on the human body that can be used to kill a person."

"Over a hundred ways to cripple a man." Naruto continued "And two ways to shut someone up."

"Oh really?"

"First is to cut out their tongue and rip out their voice box. Second is to simply force them to." Naruto replied as he blocked an overhead strike from Zabuza. Turning Naruto unleashed a flurry of slashes at the bandaged swordsman.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Ryusosen(Double Dragon slash)." he said as the attacks hit the massive flat of the blade, being used as a shield. Taking off Naruto kicked the sword back, knocking Zabuza off balance as he used this to cut the man in two, finding that it was in fact a Mizu Bushin.

"Not bad kid. You aren't just some squirt who took his daddies sword." Zabuza laughed "But you are no killer."

"Really?" Naruto asked deciding to let loose and show Zabuza why his master was feared during the Bakumatsu, and why he was the student of that legendary hitokiri. Letting loose a massive burst of Chi he scatter the mist around him, revealing two Zabuza's near him, both ready to strike.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Ryukansen Tsumuji(Rising Wind Dragon Hair Spin)!" he shouted as he took off in a blur, that not even Zabuza could react to, cutting down the two clones without a moments hesitation, and then blocking the follow up strike that Zabuza had tried to make.

"Alright, you are very good kid. Not many people can say that they have crossed blades with me and lived." Zabuza laughed "How about you ditch those Konaha fools and join me?"

"Thanks, but no thanks." Naruto replied "I'm happy with my life for once. And I'm not about to screw that up."

"Your loss kid. Now I have to kill you." Zabuza growled.

"If you can." Naruto grinned as he slipped under Zabuza's guard, kicking him in the chest while sheathing his katana.

"Battojutsu?" Zabuza asked, looking at the blond intrigued.

"Yeah. I was trained by one who has the title of Battosai, so of course I have learned many of his ways." Naruto grinned "Ready to test your luck?"

"Try me." Zabuza laughed as they prepared to clash.

"Kakashi-sensei, what's battojutsu?" Sakura asked.

"A risky form of kenjutsu. It's all about speed, and how fast you can draw your blade before your opponent can react. If it works it is usually an instant kill, but if it misses, then you are left wide open and are likely to be killed yourself. The fact that Naruto is using this either means he has faith he can beat Zabuza this way, or that this was a harder fight then we thought it would be." Kakashi explained. Grinning Naruto took the step forward, his blade moving out of the sheathe at a speed that only one trained in the art of god speed would be able to follow. Zabuza was trying to raise Kubikiri Hocho in time to block the attack, or at least deter it. As Zabuza brought the sword up he managed to block the slash, sending the sword off a bit, making a shallow cut along Zabuza's chest.

"HA! I win!" he shouted as he prepared to kill Naruto, and missed the sheathe following behind the katana, smashing into his elbow, making a sickening cracking sound.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Battojutsu Soryusen(Paired Dragon Flash)." Naruto said "I would give up now Zabuza. That strike has crushed your elbow and the nerves connecting it to your hand. You can't even use jutsu with that hand now."

"Hehe... Not bad gaki. You got some talent there." Zabuza laughed "But I'm not done yet."

"Yes you are." Kakashi replied as he and Kurenai stepped forward "You can't hope to win now."

"That's what you..." he trailed off as two senbon needles shot into his neck. Looking up Naruto noticed the masked nin standing there.

"Thank you for your assistance." the nin said "I have been tracking down Zabuza for some time."

"You are welcome Hunter-san." Kurenai nodded.

"Well I'm curious as to why you didn't attack while we were fighting, I mean you had the perfect opening while we fighting." Naruto growled, not trusting this newcomer.

"You were too close, and after seeing how fast you could move I didn't want to accidentally kill you." the nin replied "Now I must take this body and dispose of it."

"I thought you burned the bodies here." Kakashi noted as the nin grabbed the body and disappeared.

"We were just tricked weren't we?" Naruto sighed.

"I think we were." Kurenai nodded as they turned and accompanied Tazuna back to his house. The nine people walked in where they were introduced to Tazuna's daughter Tsunami.

"Thank you for getting my father home safely." she smiled.

"Of course. We will of course be staying until your father has finished the bridge." Kakashi nodded.

"Of course. We have enough room for all of you." she replied as a young boy walked down. He stared at them for a moment before he went back upstairs.

"Who was that?" Sakura asked.

"Inari, my son." Tsunami nodded "He's still upset over what happened to his father. Gato killed him for opposing his take over."

"So he's being a baby." Naruto replied as he walked outside "Kurenai-sensei, I'm going to train in the woods. Come get me when it's time to eat."

"Of course Naruto, don't over exert yourself." Kurenai nodded.

"Is he always so blunt?" Tsunami asked.

"He is. He doesn't like to dance around a subject, he prefers just saying it like he sees it." she sighed "He's a good person though."

Somewhere deep in the forest, inside a large building the hunter nin was taking out the senbon needles in Zabuza's neck.

"I hate it when you do that." Zabuza growled as the needles were removed.

"I am sorry Zabuza-sama. But it is the easiest way of faking your death."

"I don't care Haku. So our first strike was a bit of a bust." he growled.

"It would appear so Zabuza-sama, though we do know that the blond one is not to be taken lightly."

"Agreed. If we want to complete this job we are going to need some backup." he growled "I want you to go out and gather some strong nin, to bolster our forces for when we fight them again. And while you are out, get a skilled medic nin, whether willing or by kidnapping. I need this arm repaired."

"Of course Zabuza-sama. The arm will come first, and while you recover I will make sure that we have another one or two jonin level nin working with us." Haku nodded. Standing up Haku headed for the door, only to have Gato walk in.

"So what happened to the might Oni no Kiri?" he asked with a grin.

"I underestimated my opponent and paid the price." Zabuza replied "The shinobi that they hired are strong. So we will be getting some additional assistance before we deal with them."

"Hrm. I'm not paying them to do this." Gato grunted.

"That's your choice. I will still send them to you once the job is finished." Zabuza laughed "Now if there is nothing else, I will be asking you to leave."

"Hrm. Just finish off that bridge builder and those damn shinobi." Gato replied as he left.

"I really hate that fat sack of lard." Zabuza cursed.

"I agree Zabuza-sama." Haku nodded, heading to go get the medic nin needed for Zabuza.

The next day Kakashi and Kurenai had taken their genin out into the woods to continue training them.

"Today we are going to be teaching you how to climb trees without using your hands." Kakashi stated as he and Kurenai demonstrated "Each of you will do this until you can climb up to the top in one go." The genin nodded, each of them trying, with Naruto failing the most, As soon as he had set one foot on the tree he had gone shooting off of it.

"I think that was too much chakra." he said as he shook the the dust off himself.

"No kidding dope. Your chakra control still sucks." Sasuke grinned as he tried, and slid right off the tree.

"That's because I have at least three times the amount that you do." Naruto replied as he walked back up to the tree, this time cracking the bark with each step he took, but managing to get three meter up the tree until he slipped off. The day continued like this until Sakura, Shino and Hinata had completed the exercise, but only Sakura leaving.

"Why are you two staying?" Kiba asked.

"Because the extra practice couldn't hurt our control or our reserves." Hinata replied as she looked over at Naruto who had now managed to get halfway up the tree before falling off and having to correct himself in midair. That night while the shinobi were eating Kakashi asked how the training was going.

"I've finished the exercise as has Shino, so we are practicing until Naruto-kun is finished so we can work on our teamwork." Hinata replied.

"I've gotten about one third of the way up." Kiba grinned.

"I'm just at the half way point." Sasuke replied, causing Kiba to growl.

"I'm at the three fourths mark." Naruto sighed "This is why I hate having so much chakra, it makes control almost non existent."

"I don't get why you all try so hard, Gato's just going to kill you guys in a sea of his thugs." Inari whined.

"Inari!" Tsunami exclaimed.

"Keep dreaming kid." Naruto grunted as he continued eating.

"It's true! He's just going to kill you and everything will go back to the way it was before, so you might as well just leave!"

"Inari, things never change unless you try to change them." Naruto replied looking at the kid "If you don't try then you might as well just kill yourself, and end your suffering."

"What do you know about suffering? You probably have a nice home and a family waiting for you back home! You couldn't understand what I've gone through!"

A deathly silence fell over the table as the jonin looked at Naruto with worry.

"You think you have it bad?" he asked shaking his head "You think your life is hell?"

"YEAH! You know nothing about my suffering!"

"Baka." Naruto shook "I would take your life over what mine was any day of the week. I've been beaten by the people I now protect, I've been in the hospital more times then the record keepers could keep in a single folder and now have an entire room in the hospital for my records along with my own designated room. I have been in the deepest pits of hell where not even your worst nightmares can compare. So don't even think that you are the only one who knows about suffering." Naruto stood up after this speech heading for the door "I'll be in the woods, training."

The room fell silent as they all thought about the blondes words.

"Kurenai-sensei, he was kidding... right?" Hinata asked.

"I wish he was." she sighed "Naruto gave all of you a watered down version of events. The reality is much worse."

"You can't be serious." Tazuna gaped.

"We are." Kakashi sighed "Naruto is treated worse then most people treat a rabid animal. He has been beaten almost every day of his life, and has been sent to the hospital so many times that they keep a specific room reserved for him alone. The Hokage for the longest time was the only person who was nice to the boy directly. Most of the ANBU look out for him, by trying to stop the worst of the attacks, but there aren't always enough of us and we can't always stop them. The worst is on October 10th, his birthday. The mobs are so massive that it would take all of the jonin shinobi in the village to stop them. And many of the jonin join in the mobs, helping to lead them."

"That's awful!" Tsunami gasped.

"It's been his life since he was born. He has been hated for something that he had no control of. Most of us who were in the ANBU at the time of his birth know this and try to help him, but we cannot be everywhere at once." Kakashi sighed.

"What is the reason for such horrid acts on such a young boy?" Tazuna growled.

"We can't say." Kurenai sighed "It's a S class secret that only the Hokage and Naruto can reveal."

"Does he know why?"

"He does. He learned on his own apparently and for him it explains enough for why the village did what they did, but he has chosen to not seek retribution, and he easily could." Kurenai replied "There is very little hatred in that boy."

"I'm amazed he hasn't left for somewhere that would treat him better." Tazuna snorted "You were right, people do treat rabid animals better then your village has treated that boy." Inari was silent at this point, knowing that he had no right to complain compared to what Naruto had gone through. The rest of the genin were speechless as they stared in the direction Naruto had walked off in. They all had homes and families waiting for them, or at least had memories of them to help comfort them when they were upset, but Naruto had never had anyone other then the Hokage and he wasn't always there for him. Sasuke recovered first, simply blowing off the thought as dramatization, as did Sakura. Kiba felt bad for Naruto, but not enough to actually do something. Shino and Hinata traded looks, knowing full well that they were the sort of bridge for Naruto, to try and feel like he had a family, and neither wanted to shrink away from such a task.

Naruto was training, trying to work off his frustration by practicing his marksmanship, constructing targets that he quickly started shooting holes into. As he shot more of his anger was coming out, giving him a sinister red aura as the Kyubi's chakra was drawn out. Soon the shots became explosions and the targets became craters. Once finished Naruto was exhausted, collapsing on the ground where he was soon asleep in the damaged clearing.

Haku walked silently in the dawn light, moving towards a clearing where some herbs that would help ease pain were growing. Entering the clearing, the shinobi instincts that Zabuza had refined kicked in. Taking a step back Haku noted that there were several small craters in the ground, and the blond boy who had hurt Zabuza was asleep, his handguns still drawn.

"_How peculiar,"_ Haku thought, moving closer to the blond, who seemed to be asleep. Kneeling down Haku reached over to touch the boy when his eyes shot open and the guns were aimed at Haku's head.

"Oh, you're awake." Haku smiled.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I live out here. I'm just gathering herbs and found you in this clearing. I wanted to make sure you were alright.". Naruto was silent for a moment before he put away his guns.

"_She's actually kind of cute." he thought_

"_Maybe Kit. But something's off on this one." Kyubi muttered._ Standing up Naruto offered her a hand, which she took gently. Once they were standing Naruto offered to help with gathering the herbs since he didn't really want to head back to the others yet.

"Well you are kind. What is your name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki." he smiled "And you?"

"Haku." Haku nodded "So are you a mercenary?"

"Shinobi." Naruto corrected "I'm not low enough to be hired by anyone who has money."

"But you are low enough to kill?"

"Only if I have to." Naruto shrugged "Shinobi die all the time in the line of duty, if not on missions then in wars. It is better to be willing to accept that you may have to take someone's life to save your own or someone precious to you."

"I see." Haku nodded "So what were you doing out here all by yourself?"

"Training and releasing stress." Naruto nodded as Haku continued to question him about his training.

"_Now she is definitely up to something." Naruto thought._

"_Agreed. She's grilling you for information, she might be working with Zabuza."_

"_Well that makes things problematic."_

"_Not really. Just don't answer her, change the subject, or be very vague with your answer." Kyubi chuckled._

"So Naruto, do you have anyone precious to you?" Haku asked.

"I have a few." Naruto nodded.

"That is good. If a person wants to be strong they need someone for them to protect, a reason to acquire strength." Haku smiled.

"I agree there. If you fight only for yourself then you are weak, fight for others then you can have unlimited strength." Naruto grinned.

"Well I must be going." Haku replied as she started to walk off "And by the way, I'm a boy."

This caught Naruto off guard, causing him to slip and look back at the long haired person, watching the sway of their hips.

"_If Haku is a boy then I'm the Hokage." he growled._

"_Hahahaha!" Kyubi laughed "That was hilarious. Though you are probably right. No normal guy swings their hips like that."_

Naruto simply shook his head, walking back to the training area to finish practicing climbing trees. By mid-afternoon he managed to get to the top several times, on many different trees, and was now watching Kiba and Sasuke continue to fail.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata called from below the tree.

"Yeah?"

"Kurenai-sensei wants to see you!"

"Be right down!" he called down as he leapt off the tree, bouncing from branch to branch as he landed until he landed on the ground. Once he landed he followed Hinata to where Kurenai and Shino were waiting by the water.

"Took you two long enough." Kurenai sighed "You two start making out or something?".

This earned a large blush from Hinata who almost fainted at the thought while Naruto just shook his head.

"If I didn't know any better I'd think you might be trying to get me and Hinata together." Naruto sighed.

"Of course not." Kurenai denied while thinking _"Is he catching on to me. I don't want him to find out about the bet between the jonin. My god, I'm becoming Anko-chan."_

"So why'd you ask for us?" Naruto asked.

"I've called all of you here since I feel that it is about time that you started learning how to use elemental jutsus. Which is why I'm speeding up your training and having you use these." she explained as she took out three pieces of paper "This is chakra paper, it will tell you your affinity for an element. If it burns it's fire, cuts in half it's wind, crinkles up is lightning, turns to dust is earth, and getting wet is water. All you have to do is pour your chakra into the paper." Nodding the genin each took a slip of paper and began pouring the chakra into it. Shino's turned to dust, showing his earth affinity, while Hinata's got wet showing her water affinity. Naruto's did something interesting. His split in half and then burned.

"Whoa." he whistled

"_How did that happen?"_

"_My affinity for Fire is influencing you. So now your own natural affinity and my affinity are on equal ground, and will always be." Kyubi explained._

"What does that mean?" Naruto asked.

"It means that you have an equal affinity for wind and fire." Kurenai replied "This means that since each of you have a different affinity I won't be able to help you all too much, but I can get you instructors who can."

"Like whom?" Shino asked.

"Well I have a water affinity so I can help train Hinata, as well as you Shino since I have a minor affinity for earth. Naruto I am going to have Kakashi helping you for right now, and once we get back to Konahagakure I will see who can help you with wind and fire." Kurenai replied "But I do know a few wind jutsu that I can teach you now."

Nodding the three began memorizing the jutsu that Kurenai showed each of them, slowly beginning to practice it until they were able to perform them from memory. Naruto wasn't able to get many jutsu since Kurenai only knew a few weaker ones, but they were better then nothing as he put it. Once he had finished he watched the others practicing, making plans on how they could plan their strikes and attack together. That evening Naruto took his meal and sat outside, eating away from everyone, avoiding another fight with Inari, or the questions that there were bound to be from the others about his past that he was sure that Kurenai and Kakashi had only hinted at. Once he had finished he heard someone approach him.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yes Hinata-chan?"

"M... May I join you?"

"If you want." he nodded, moving over so that Hinata could sit next to him. Nodding her thanks she sat next to him, a comfortable silence falling over them. After a few moments Hinata finally spoke.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For everything. Everything that has happened to you."

"You don't have to apologize. You were always nice to me, even if I never knew it at the time. You have always been a silent companion for me, and I appreciate it more then anything. You shouldn't be apologizing."

"But, you have suffered so much, and for something that isn't even your fault." she sobbed. A small smile spread across Naruto's lips as he hugged Hinata.

"Listen Hinata-chan. While it is true that my life has been harder then anything anyone alive has probably gone through, I have had some great things happen. I became a shinobi, I met all of my sensei's, I was placed on Team 8 with Kurenai-sensei, Shino, and best of all you Hinata-chan. I believe that my life is finally turning around and that I'm happy that you are here to make it all the better."

Hinata smiled as she looked at Naruto and saw the smile he was giving her. It was different the other ones that she had seen for most of the time she had known him, this smile was genuine and not for attention, it was for her and her alone. Leaning closer, she felt the sudden rush of bravery and did the one thing she had always wanted to do but never had the courage before now. She kissed the blonde. Naruto was shocked by this and was stock still, but once he recovered he kissed her back. Separating Hinata realized what had happened and promptly turned red and fainted, a smile on her lips.

"Should have seen that coming." he sighed as he picked her up bridal style and took her into the house, taking her up to the girls room. After Kurenai was done laughing at the red Hyuga in the arms of the blond she took Hinata and put her to bed as Naruto left the room, going to sit on the roof for awhile.

In the woods Zabuza was grinding his teeth in pain as the medic worked on his arm.

"ARGH!" he cursed through the leather bite piece he had.

"I'm sorry. But whatever happened to your arm destroyed the entire joint, blocking the chakra paths along with the tendons. There will be much discomfort for a few days, but in a week you should be able to have your arm function normally." the medic explained as he worked.

"Haku." Zabuza growled as he spat out the leather.

"Yes Zabuza-sama?"

"Have you managed to find anyone useful?"

"One. She will arrive in a few days, but she will be able to easily fight the jonin while you get your rematch against Naruto."

"Fine. As long as he can hold off those jonin, and you deal with those genin. Have you freed the Oni Brothers?"

"Yes. They are happy to be given this second chance." Haku nodded.

"Good. You three will be dealing with those genin with them. Once we are finished we can kill that bridge builder and finally leave."

"Of course." Haku nodded turning to leave.

For the next week the tension grew as the Konaha teams continued practicing, working on team work now that everyone had completed the tree walking exercise. Hinata and Shino had learned several elemental jutsu to compliment their fighting styles as well as work with Naruto's fighting style, whether he used his taijutsu, kenjutsu, or his guns. Team 7 focused solely on team work, as Kakashi said they weren't ready to learn jutsu just yet, which aggravated Sasuke to no end, as he pestered the members of Team 8 to teach him what they were learning.

"For the last damn time, NO!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke as he practiced his Mauy Thai.

"You will!" he shouted as he tried to punch him, and was quickly kicked in the stomach, followed by an elbow to the face, sending him flying.

"Like you could make me." Naruto laughed as he went back to practice.

Two weeks after the first fight, was when they encountered Zabuza again. They had gone with Tazuna to the bridge, after Naruto had left a few clones to watch the house, only to find that all of the workers on the bridge were dead.

"Kami above." Kurenai gasped.

"How horrible." Sakura sobbed.

"Hrm. COME OUT ZABUZA!" Naruto shouted as he walked onto the bridge.

"So you knew it was me." the bandaged nuke nin laughed.

"Of course. The wounds were all made by a large bladed weapon, and yours fits the bill."

"Well that is very observant of you." he replied "The offer still stands to join me."

"No thanks." Naruto grinned "While I respect your strength, I don't want to become a nuke nin at a genin rank."

"Too true." Zabuza laughed "So we battle, but I won't let your sensei's and friends just stand around like last time." Out of the mist five people walked out. The first one was Zabuza, who's right arm was bandaged up. The next was the masked hunter nin, who seemed far too calm about this entire thing. The next two were the Oni brothers, who looked like they wanted revenge. The last was someone that Kakashi had never thought he would see again. The woman was almost as tall as Zabuza, with blood red hair and green eyes. She had a slender figure and wore light weight red samurai armor, enough to protect her vital parts. At her waist was a blood red katana that seemed to emanate power.

"Kushina!" Kakashi exclaimed.

"Who?" Naruto asked looking at the jonin.

"She was the wife of my sensei, the Yodaime Hokage." Kakashi replied "She was a famous kenjutsuist known as the Aka no Shi."

"Aka no Shi..." the woman muttered "That name sounds very familiar..."

"Her name is simply Aka." Zabuza replied.

"No... Kushina..." she muttered "Why do those names sound familiar?"

"Kakashi, how good was she?" Naruto asked.

"One of the best. She was a terror in the third great shinobi war, holding an entire flank on her own while Minato-sensei used his Hiraishin to decimate everything in front." Kakashi replied "She's not an easy opponent to fight."

"And you are certain that it is her?"

"Dead positive. I was with that woman for most of my young life. She was the one who taught me kenjutsu."

"Then she must be a powerful opponent. And with that smaller blade, she will be faster then Zabuza." Naruto noted calculating "Kakashi-sensei, I want to fight that woman."

"Naruto, it would be best if you fought Zabuza again. You know his style and will be able to fight against it." Kakashi reasoned.

"No. This time he won't just use kenjutsu against me. And while my kenjutsu, taijutsu and marksmanship are incredible for a genin, against him, I won't last long a second time. It was the reason I tried to cripple him." Naruto replied.

"So you know you can't beat me?" Zabuza laughed "Well if you don't think you're up to the challenge a second time then I guess that I will have to deal with those sensei's of yours."

"Naruto, is that woman weaker then Zabuza?" Kurenai asked.

"No. From what I can feel, she is stronger in the art of kenjutsu, possibly in general, but I just have this feeling that she won't use anything other then kenjutsu." Naruto replied.

"And if she does?" Kurenai asked.

"Well, I have to hope that the Shinigami is still watching my back." Naruto grinned.

"Enough talk! Time to fight!" Zabuza roared as the attack began.


	9. Bridge To Glory

_AN/ And I am back, again. Sorry for the delay, but with work and school going on I hardly have a free moment. So first off, I will try to update a few more times this month, with the earliest most likely being on the seventh of this month. Now as always leave your reviews and here is the latest chapter of Kitsune Storm._

_Bridge To Glory_

Zabuza charged at the two jonin, who quickly dodged around him, with Kurenai and Kakashi both taking out kunai to block against the massive sword Zabuza used. Skidding back the three jonin moved away from the others, so they wouldn't be interrupted. The two demon brothers charged forward, already having orders not to fight Naruto they attacked Kiba, Sakura and Shino who leapt out of the way of the two clawed fighters.

"This time we won't be humiliated!" they shouted as they attacked.

Haku started several one handed signs saying "Suiton: Sensatsu Suishō(Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death)." With that the water on the bridge rose up, creating the thousand of needles that tried to impale Hinata and Sasuke.

"Rotation!" Hinata shouted, her byakugan blazing as she repelled the attack so Sasuke could strike.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu!" Sasuke roared as the massive fireball rushed at Haku.

"Suiton: Suijinheki(Water Encampment Wall)." Haku replied as the water wall rose around her, dousing the fire "I have the advantage Uchiha. Your fire will die out under the might of my water."

"We'll see about that!" Sasuke roared as he charged at the masked nin.

Naruto and Aka squared off, their hands on their katanas as they watched the other. Eventually they charged at the same time, moving at an equal speed they clashed, the sound of their swords ringing across the bridge startled many of the fighters. Naruto noted that Aka was matching his speed perfectly while still blocking his attacks.

"You are no ordinary kenjutsuist." Naruto grinned "But neither am I. Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Ryusosen!" Unleashing the multiple strikes he found that she blocked the worst of the attack, with the ones she didn't block hitting her armor and sliding off.

"Aku-ryu Chi no Arashi(Blood Storm)." Aka replied as she unleashed several powerful slashes at Naruto who blocked most of them while dodging the rest. After the attack the two slid back, appraising each other.

"It appears that we are too strong to be holding back." Naruto noted.

"So it would." Aka nodded "What is your name boy, and who has taught you such an unusual style?"

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and my sensei was Himura Kenshin, Hitokiri Battosai, practitioner of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu." Naruto replied.

"Uzumaki..." Aka muttered "Why does that name haunt me..."

"You seem troubled, want a timeout?" Naruto asked.

"We do not have the time for such a thing." Aka replied as she struck, her blade flashing as Naruto used his to block.

"Alright. But if you collapse later then it is your own fault." he noted as the clashed.

Kakashi and Kurenai were having difficulty dealing with Zabuza, since he had unleashed his mist technique again, blocking them off from the rest of their comrades.

"You are too weak. I should have fought against that brat again. At least he would have been entertaining." Zabuza laughed.

"Kurenai, if you could make contact with him, how quickly could you cast a genjutsu?"

"Ten seconds. And it might hold him for about a minute tops."

"Alright. We have to take that chance. Next time he comes for me I'll hold him for a moment while you cast the genjutsu." Kakashi nodded as they went back to back, waiting for Zabuza to strike again.

"So you are thinking that by working together you can beat me. Keep dreaming! I have defeated dozens of people who thought that by working together and eliminating blind spots that they could defeat me. And each and every one of them was wrong!" he laughed as he struck again, forcing the two to separate from each other while Zabuza swung Kubikiri Hocho at Kakashi, who leapt over the blade, grabbing Zabuza's shoulders and flipping him to the ground. As soon as he hit Kurenai made eye contact with him before disappearing like mist, as did Kakashi.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed as he looked around trying to figure out what had happened. Kakashi had now moved his headband up revealing his Sharingan as he started using his most powerful, and original technique, the Raikiri. Zabuza soon realized what it was and broke out as Kakashi charged at him. Zabuza saw the attack coming and using a Mizu Bushin, blocked the worst of the attack, though still getting electrocuted. Flying back Zabuza realized that his nervous system had been short circuited.

"Damn it all to hell!" he roared.

The Oni brothers thought that they were doing a great job of fighting the three genin until they were led into the trap.

"Doton: Sutōn keimusho(Stone Prison)!" Shino exclaimed as the earth rose up, grabbing the two nin and holding them for a while as Kiba and Akamaru attacked one while Sakura used chakra to enhance a blow to the other.

"Gatsuga!" Kiba roared as he hit the one brother, knocking him senseless.

"HOSHA!" Sakura shouted as she smashed the other brother into the ground, knocking him unconscious.

"We win." Shino noted as the other two smiled and cheered.

Sasuke and Hinata were having a very tough time. Haku had unleashed a devastating technique that she called Makyō Hyōshō(Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors) and was now trying to turn the two of them into pincushions. The only thing that had been saving them was Hinata's byakugan.

"LEFT!" She shouted as Sasuke dodged while Hinata deflected another one.

"This is impossible." Sasuke panted.

"No kidding." Hinata agreed "Even if we keep dodging these attacks if we can't hit her we won't be able to win."

"And that is the point." Haku remarked "While you are doing better then all others who I have trapped in these mirrors, there is no escape and no way of destroying them."

"We will see about that." Hinata growled as she used a rotation to block a massive strike from all sides "But you can't keep this up forever. You will start to run out of chakra eventually and that is when we will strike."

"Then it is a race to see which one of us will last longer." She grinned as she continued the barrage on the two genin.

Naruto and Aka were both panting from exhaustion. Neither had expected their opponent to be so strong, or so fast and were now reaching the end of their ropes.

"Looks like this is the end for our little duel." Naruto noted.

"So it seems." Aka nodded "You have been my favorite opponent. I hope that you will find peace in the afterlife."

"Thanks, but I'm not going there just yet." Naruto grinned as the two prepared for one last clash.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Ryukansen Arashi(Wind Dragon Rising Slash Storm)!" Naruto roared as he took off, spinning vertically.

"Aku-ryu Buradi Oni Sutoraiku(Bloody Demon Strike)!" Aka shouted as she unleashed a powerful slash on Naruto, meant to cut clean through his sword and him. The two strikes collided with a boom, creating a powerful burst of wind that caused everyone to pause. Soon the strikes ended and the two stood, backs facing each other. Then Naruto fell to his knees, coughing up blood.

"NARUTO!" Hinata shouted. Before anyone could run over to the blonde Aka fell to the ground, a large slash appearing on the back of her armor, blood seeping out.

"The match goes to you, Naruto." Aka grinned.

"Barely." He grinned as he wiped up the blood.

"Well isn't this touching!" a voice laughed at the unfinished end of the bridge. Everyone turned to see Gato standing there with an army of thugs "You can't even beat a bunch of worthless shinobi Zabuza. You really are pathetic. All right men, destroy them, and bring those women back alive, they could be rather entertaining later."

The thugs started cheering as they moved forward. Naruto rose slowly, his body still in pain from the last attack Aka had used.

"_Hey Kyubi. I need power and quick."_

"_Already on it Kit. Just be careful, you'll be releasing a lot of my power."_

"_It'll be worth it."_

Grinning Naruto moved in front of the massive group, sheathing his katana.

"You shall all perish here." Naruto said, red chakra starting to swirl around him.

"He's bluffing!" one shouted.

"GET HIM!" they shouted as they charged. Naruto only grinned as the red chakra started taking the form of a fox around him in a sinister aura as he lashed out, unleashing Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu upon the men, cutting down five with each swing of his sword.

"Good Kami." Haku whispered as she ended her jutsu to watch.

"This is ridiculous." Zabuza muttered as he watched the blond cutting through the men like they were nothing "No way am I letting him have all the fun!" Grabbing his massive sword Zabuza charged into the fight, swinging his massive blade around taking down many opponent's.

"They are just nuts." Sakura shuddered as the bodies began piling up "And why are we letting Naruto murder those people?"

"It's not murder." Haku replied "It's self defense. They were about to kill and/or rape us. He's just making sure that they will never do such things again."

"This is still cruel."

"We are shinobi for a reason pinkie." Haku snorted "We kill, it's what we do."

Kakashi and Kurenai watched as the blonde genin went through the ranks of bandits and was cutting them down like they were wheat for the harvest.

"Well, this feels wrong." Kurenai sighed "I feel like I should be stopping him."

"Don't. It's best if these men are dealt with. Besides we now can see how good he is with that sword of his." Kakashi replied as he looked at the woman who was now standing up, her eyes looking over at the blond emanating red chakra.

"Naruto..." she stammered "NARUTO!" Leaping into the air she had her sword drawn, chakra flowing into it "AKU-RYU Chi no Arashi Kurasshu(Crashing Blood Storm)!" Aka flew down to the ground, smashing into the middle of a massive group of bandits that were trying to get close to Naruto, sending them flying. The three kenjutsuists continued slicing through the group while Gato was slowly backing away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Naruto asked as he sped out of the crowd.

"AH! Don't kill me!" he screeched.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Ryushosen(Dragon Rising Flash)!" he roared as he used his left hand to boost the blade up into Gato's throat, decapitating him while leaping into the air. Once he landed he turned to see that most of the bandits were dead and the remaining were now fleeing for their lives.

"NARUTO!" Aka shouted as she ran over, hugging him.

"Ummm, hi?" he asked confused "You just fought me maybe ten minutes ago."

"You don't know who I am do you?" she asked.

"Aka." he stated bluntly.

"Who?" she asked "NO! It's me, Kushina. You're mother." This led to a moment of stunned silence as the blonde stared at the red head like she had grown a second head.

"Ok... You're messing with me right? Just trying to get inside my head and figure out what I know about kenjutsu? Or has the blood loss gotten to you?"

"Blood loss?" she asked as she felt her back, and the wound "HOLY SHIT!" Aka then proceeded to rip off her armor, causing Kurenai to cover Kiba's eyes while the rest of the men turned away while she bandaged herself up "How the hell did that happen?"

"I did that to you, during our little duel a few minutes before. Now why the hell do you keep saying you're my mother?"

"Naruto it's really me!"

"And why would I believe that? I've never ever seen you before today!" he shouted. Kushina lowered her head at this. She knew he had every right to be mad, but she hadn't expected this.

"Kushina-chan?" Kakashi asked walking over "You'll have to excuse him. He's had a bit of a rough time."

"A BIT?" he roared.

"Ok. A very hard time." Kakashi remedied.

"Alright. Let's say I believe that she is my mother, which I don't! What the hell happened to her? Where the hell has she been for my entire life?" Naruto shouted.

"Look, this isn't exactly the best place for this conversation." Kakashi noted "So let's save this for when we get back to Tazuna's and she can tell you everything she remembers there."

"Fine..." Naruto growled.

"And what to do with you four..." Kurenai said looking at Zabuza, Haku and the Oni brothers.

"We have no further business with you." Zabuza replied "We were hired to do a job, and since he bailed on us, well we are free to do as we please."

"Then why don't you stay for a bit, find Gato's money, take what is owed to you and then leave once you are ready?" Hinata asked. Zabuza face planted at that, having never thought of taking the payment that they were owed. So with a nod and a quick Suiton jutsu to clean the dead bodies off of the bridge they returned to Tazuna's house where Naruto, Kushina and Kakashi headed off into the woods to talk about what had happened to Kushina.

"Well?" Naruto asked, leaning against a tree as he stared Kushina.

"It all started on the day of the Kyubi attack. I had just given birth to you the night before, and your father"

"My father?" Naruto asked "WHO is my father?"

"Minato Namikaze of course, hasn't Oji talked to you about it?" Kushina asked looking at the blond confused.

"NO!" he exclaimed his KI flaring.

"Um Kushina, you know it was decided that Naruto would have to be sixteen in order for that information to be disclosed." Kakashi reminded her.

"Yes, so?"

"Naruto's only thirteen at the moment."

"WHAT?" she exclaimed "He looks like he is sixteen!"

"Well as much as I love hearing I look older, I would like an explanation about why Jiji knows about my parents and hasn't said a damn word about it!"

"Because of your father's enemies during the third great shinobi war it was decided that you would take my last name until you reached the age of sixteen. Then you would be informed of your lineage and offered to take his last name." Kushina sighed "Minato and I didn't like this but it was for your own safety, in case something happened to us."

"Ok..." he paused taking a deep breath "I'll accept that just because it actually makes some Kami damned sense. Now please finish explaining your story."

"Anyway, your father had just come in, and he was absolutely ecstatic about you. It was then that the Kyubi started to attack. At first Minato tried to find a way to drive off the Kyubi, but he found that the only solution would be for him to seal it inside a newborn baby, and unfortunately you were the only one that had been born, and he very well couldn't afford to wait for another to be born. So your father took you, and I tried to follow after him, but in the chaos of the attack I was separated from you and your father. I somehow managed to beat your father there, probably because he had to stop and prepare the seals on you and himself."

"Himself?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, the seal he used destroyed him along with the Kyubi's body, and so he sent a portion of his soul into you to watch over you and protect you in case something goes wrong with the seal." Kushina nodded "Anyway, I arrived first, and tried to save as many people as I could, but the Kyubi was blasting away at the ground and sent me flying after I stabbed it's foot trying to save some people that were about to be crushed. After that it all becomes blurry, nothing set but I remember wandering around, becoming a mercenary, and while most of my skills remained ingrained from years of training I lost all of my memories relating to before the Kyubi attack."

Naruto sat silently for several minutes until he looked her in the eye.

"Well your story checks out. The Kyubi remembers you, only because you actually managed to cut him with what he calls a butter knife. He smacked you halfway across Hi no Kuni apparently. So while I am still upset... I suppose I can forgive you." he sighed as Kushina wrapped him in a back breaking hug.

"Well at least everything has turned out for the best." Kakashi grinned.

"Well Kakashi-kun it is good to see you as well. I assume that you are taking good care of my son." she grinned.

"Even though I am not his direct sensei, I have always looked after Naruto, ever since he was asleep in his cradle." Kakashi grinned.

"Now that doesn't sound stalkerish." Naruto muttered as Kushina laughed.

"So Naruto, I want to hear about you. What have you done, who are your friends, do you have a girlfriend yet, have you been eating right, what have you learned..." she paused for breath and Naruto decided to interrupt her.

"Ok, I get it. You want to hear my life story. I suppose I should tell everyone." Naruto mused.

"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, at least my team." Naruto amended "No offense but your students are horrendous."

"Well I don't blame you. I can go get your team and Kurenai while I stay and keep an eye on our nuke nin guests." Kakashi sighed as he shunsuied off to get Team 8. So for several minutes the two sat there, Naruto with his headphones in bobbing his head to music while Kushina just watched him.

"What are you listening to?" she finally asked.

"It's called Bang Bang Bang Bang Have A Nice Dream." Naruto replied as he took out a headphone, offering it to her "Listen if you like." Shrugging the red headed woman took the headphone and listened to the music, starting to bob her head to the song with a smile on her lips.

"This is pretty good." she grinned.

"I know." he nodded as the song came to an end as his teammates arrived "Alright, formal introductions. Everyone this is my mother Kushina Uzumaki." Everyone nodded at the woman, Kurenai smiling at meeting one of the best kunochi in Konaha history "Mom, this my sensei Kurenai Yuuhi, and my two teammates Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuga."

"Hyuga... Are you Honoka and Hiashi's daughter?" she asked.

"Yes..."

"Oh my goodness!" she squealed as she hugged the young girl "You look just like your mother! Oh how is she?"

"She... passed away. After my younger sister Hanabi was born..."

"Oh... I'm sorry." Kushina said "Here, take Naruto to make up for it." she smiled as she pushed the blond jinchuruki and the raven haired girl together getting an instant blush out of them both "I thought so. You are two are going to be so cute together."

"So Naruto, why did you ask all of us here?" Kurenai asked, deciding to save her two students the embarrassment, especially before Hinata fainted from the thoughts Kushina would be implanting into her head.

"To tell you all a story. The story of my life, something that all of you need to hear before anything else." Naruto sighed.

"We're listening Naruto." Kushina smiled.

"Well it's better to start at the beginning. On my birthday the Yodaime couldn't kill the Kyubi, and sealed it inside of me." he began as he saw both Shino and Hinata look at him surprised "This is the reason the village hates me. For the first five years of my life things were tough, but liveable. Once I turned five I was thrown out of the orphanage where I lived on the streets for about six months, from early fall until early spring. Eventually the Hokage found me and got me an apartment where I could live, along with what would be needed for me to survive, plus a monthly allowance, that would help pay for food and anything else I would need. So then for the next seven years I was given the usual beatings and attempted murders, despite Jiji's and the ANBU's best efforts. I was sabotaged by my instructors at the academy until Iruka became our sensei, and even then he couldn't cancel out the bad habits I had picked up. So after failing the genin exam Mizuki approached me with a deal, sneak into the Hokage Tower and steal the Yodaime's scroll of sealing, and then learn a single technique out of it. Well I managed to get the scroll and I did memorize a few techniques out of it. So when I found out that Mizuki had lied to me I tried to use the first one I memorized. It worked but it didn't do anything to Mizuki, or Iruka who had showed up searching for me. It took me from our world and took me to another where I met my kenjutsu teacher, Himura Kenshin and he taught me my kenjutsu, Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. After that I was taken to a massive dojo where I was trained in Jujitsu, Mauy Thai, Chinese Kenpo, and Karate. Finally I was taken to a world where I met Shinigami and was trained by his son, two of his sons friends and one of their teachers. It's the reason why I'm so strong, because after that last world I returned here."

Everyone was silent at this. Kurenai knew all of this information, but hearing it out of the blonds mouth himself just made it even more mystifying. Kushina was shocked to say the least. Not only had she not been able to take care of her son, the village that Minato had told to look after his son had treated him like a monster. Not only that but he still chose to protect them, even by returning to this world instead of staying in one of the other worlds. Shino while surprised found that it wasn't that much of a problem, after all having the Kyubi inside of him was like having the kikaichū inside of him and his entire clan. Naruto looked over at Hinata to see her looking right back at him, a fire in her eyes that seemed to put Naruto at ease.

"That's what I wanted you all to know. Since you are all very close to me, or will be soon enough, you have a right to know this." Naruto nodded.

"Well this doesn't change anything." Kurenai replied "We are still a team." She smiled.

"Of course." Shino nodded.

"Y...Yes." Hinata blushed still looking at Naruto.

"And we are family." Kushina grinned as she hugged Naruto "Now enough of this, let's go back to the house and enjoy some down time before we have to go back to Konohagakure!" Laughing the genin followed after Kushina while Kurenai brought up the rear, shaking her head at the four running ahead.

It took a week for the bridge to finally be completed and the two teams were standing on the bridge with Kushina, Zabuza and his comrades.

"Well we thank you Konohagakure shinobi for helping us make this bridge possible." Tazuna smiled.

"It was nothing. And remember, you still owe Konohagakure money for the mission change." Kakashi grinned.

"Of course. We will have it sent over once it is ready." Tazuna nodded.

"Well we had better be going." Kurenai nodded as the the shinobi walked into the nearby woods.

"Hey, we still need a name!" Inari shouted.

"How about the Great Naruto Bridge!" Tazuna shouted, much to the peoples approval.

In the woods the two groups stopped and looked at each other for several seconds.

"So now what?" Kakashi asked Zabuza.

"We will be heading on our way. We still need to raise a lot more money." he shrugged.

"For what?" Naruto asked.

"To assassinate that damned Yodaime Mizukage." he growled "He's killing off people for having kekkei genkais. It was the reason I tried to kill him the first time. Now I'm trying to gather forces to try again, and this time take out that damned bastard."

"Hmmm. Hey Kakashi-sensei could we help him?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know. It would be up to the Hokage, but we normally don't interfere with foreign matters, although we do not currently have an alliance with Kirigakure." he mused.

"Hm. If you Hokage approves then we would gladly take the help. Some strong shinobi can turn the tide of most battles. Haku!"

"Yes Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked.

"Go with them, see what their Hokage has to say on the matter. If he agrees to help then you are to remain there and send word back to me. If he does not then you are to return immediately."

"Understood Zabuza-sama." Haku nodded as the bandaged nin turned to look at the jonin.

"I know we didn't exactly start out on the right foot and all, but you two are good shinobi, and if every jonin in your village is like you two, well Konohagakure is lucky." he grinned "And you gaki! Work on that form of yours. It doesn't look like you have mastered it yet."

"I haven't and neither did my sensei." Naruto replied calmly "One day if I find the need I will go back and master the rest, but until then I will stay where I'm at."

"It's your call. But know that I am going to request you join the attack force if you Hokage agrees." Zabuza grinned as he nodded to the rest of the genin and Kushina. Turning Zabuza and the Oni brothers walked off into the woods, heading north to try and find work.

"Well, lets go." Kakashi nodded as they started moving again, heading for home.


	10. Before the Exam

_AN* Alright, first off, it was amazing how many of you read this story and so I say thank you. Without you reading it I would not be writing it as quickly as I am. Currently I have several chapters almost finished and will try to update more often if my laziness doesn't get in the way again. Now for something new. I have decided to thank those of you that review this story by responding here in the newest chapters. So let's begin:_

_Lightningblade49; Yes he did beat her, but in pure kenjutsu i feel that hiten mitsurugi-ryu would be be the better one, and Kushina wasn't exactly fighting at full strength since the whole memory thing was weakening her, so if they faced again Kushina would likely walk away the winner._

_dopplerdee; yes, they technically shouldn't be learning these things, but I always thought that they would be stronger having these techniques with them._

_XxCaseyxX59; well I am sorry if you don't like that idea, but I did and so I had it in there. You don't have to continue reading if that is what you think._

_Noradin; I can understand your arguement about NaruHina, however I prefer that pairing to any other Naruto one since I truly detest NaruSaku and most of the other pairings that there are from the canon don't really seem likely. And as for the bashing of Kiba, I have that in there just for kicks, personally I do agree with him being a good friend but for this story I have him being a dick, it's just something I decided to add in there._

_Ex10; thank you for the praise._

_Riotstarter1214; thank you, and I am mulling having Anko in there. If nothing else she will be more like a big sister figure to Naruto._

_Melikalilly; thank you._

_wolfsrainrules; thank you as well._

_Lednacek; I realized that mistake, however in my defense I was using information from the naruto wikia and they spell it konoha, not konaha. I saved both in the spell check so there may be some mistakes but I am trying to fix them._

_NarutoUzumakiBarrage; Thank you for that, and I will try to keep the twists coming, but I only have so many ideas but I will do all that I can to keep things interesting._

_Alright now let us get on with the show, and leave your reviews at the end, I do enjoy the feedback._

_Before the Exam_

The ten shinobi arrived at the gates, passing the chunin before they had time to protest the two newcomers. Walking through the streets they quickly arrived at the mission hall to see the Hokage there talking with Iruka.

"Hokage-sama." Kakashi said as the two teams and two extras walked in.

"Kakashi. You seem to have picked up two extras." he noted.

"Yes sir." he nodded as he handed them the mission report. The Hokage nodded as he read the report before looking up.

"Well this was certainly different then what I expected from your first C rank mission, however since it became an A rank and you all completed it satisfactory I will have it marked that you have all completed an A rank mission, now for the matter of you Haku-san." Sarutobi began.

"Yes Hokage-sama?"

"You say that Zabuza wants us to help him over throw a kage. I cannot say I like this."

"I know sir. However Yagura needs to be eliminated. He is killing hundreds of innocent people, simply because they have kekkei genkais. The land is in constant turmoil. If nothing is done then Kiri will be destroyed, whether by itself or some blood thirsty nation."

"I understand your plight, but what will happen once Zabuza succeeds? Will he become the Godaime Mizukage?"

"No. Zabuza-sama has no intention of leading Kiri. He will have a suitable person chosen, who will be able to lead, protect and help Kiri." Haku explained.

"And does he know who?"

"Yes. He has one idea in his mind. A shinobi who has turned against Yagura, her name is Mei Terumi."

"I see. Well I shall consider this offer. Until I have made up my mind I will have to have you followed by ANBU."

"I understand." She nodded as she stepped back.

"And now for the matter of you Kushina." the Hokage grinned.

"Yes Oji?" she asked causing the old man to sigh.

"The report explains what happened to you, and while I am happy to have you home, there is the the matter of your time as Aka."

"What about it?"

"Well, Aka is a wanted nin, in several countries, so for the time being I am going to have to remove you from active service until we can sort this matter out."

"Oh. Well I can still train right?"

"Of course! You aren't under arrest, I just need some time to get rid of this Aka problem." he smiled "Now you are all dismissed."

Nodding the genin walked out each heading for their own homes, with Kushina following Naruto to his apartment. Once he let her inside Kushina paused for a moment before she grabbed him and dragged him out.

"What?" he exclaimed.

"I refuse to let you stay in that death trap! I saw at least five different kinds of mold in there. WE are going to stay in a hotel tonight, and then tomorrow we will go and get the keys to your fathers house." she growled as she walked.

"But what about my stuff!" he exclaimed.

"We will go back and get it tomorrow." Kushina retorted as they walked into a hotel "I need accommodations for two." she replied.

"Sorry, we don't serve his kind." the man behind the counter growled.

"Let's just go." Naruto sighed.

"Oh no." Kushina replied as she turned to the man behind the counter "Let's try this again shall we?" Drawing her katana "You WILL give us a room for two people or I will give you an inside view of your digestive track."

This caused the man to sweat as he handed her a key.

"Much better." Kushina replied smiling again "Alright let's go."

"She is something else." Naruto grinned as he followed Kushina into their room for the night. The next day the blond followed his mom into the Hokage tower and laughed as she just barged into the Hokage's office despite the secretary's protests.

"HEY Oji!" she shouted as the old man looked up from his paper work.

"Oh, Kushina-chan. What can I do for you?"

"The key to Minato's house." she demanded.

"You don't want Naruto living in that deathtrap called an apartment?"

"It's not a deathtrap!" Naruto shouted.

"My boy, I wouldn't even condemn a mass murderer to stay in there. If it wasn't for your tenant I'm sure you would be dead." he sighed "Here Kushina." Handing over a key.

"Thanks Oji. And why is Naruto staying there?"

"Because it was the only place that would take him." he shrugged as he went back to his paperwork "Everything is as you and Minato left it, since I forbid the elders from even thinking about using it, or the Uzumaki and Namikaze bank accounts."

"Thanks Oji." Kushina smiled as she led Naruto out of the room. Walking into the richest part of Konaha she led them to a massive building that looked like it hadn't been used in years.

"This is it!" she exclaimed as she put the key in the lock, opening the door and leading Naruto inside.

"This place has seen better days." he noted.

"Nothing a little hard work, and a ton of Kage Bushin can't fix." she grinned as she led him inside. In the front door was a massive front hall, with a massive staircase to the left and a closet for shoes and coats to the right, and directly in front of them was a hallway.

"Alright! Time for you to get the grand tour!" Kushina exclaimed as she led Naruto down the hallway first. Reaching the end they stood in a massive kitchen.

"The kitchen obviously." she grinned as they turned left and walked into a large room with a couch, two arm chairs a small table in front of the couch and another in between the armchairs. There were also several bookshelves about the room, each filled with different books.

"This is the lounge, where Minato and I relaxed with any guests we had over after we were done eating." she explained as she led him to a glass door that led out to the massive backyard "The backyard, where you can train or relax. Further back is a hot spring that Minato dug up. It's mixed bathing so make sure you know what you're getting into." she grinned as Naruto turned red. Leading him back into the kitchen and taking the other way they entered a large room with a long table and chairs around it, easily enough for twenty people to sit comfortably.

"The dining room, for fancy occasions." she grinned as she led him to the next room "This is the living room where we sit with the guests before dinner, that way we don't have to work our way through the crowded kitchen." The living room had several arm chairs and couches scattered about, with several small tables as well. Turning around she led him back to the stairs where they walked up first and into another long hallway.

"The study is the first door on the right, it has all of your fathers and my techniques and important documents in there. The first door on the left is the library, filled with all of the books that we have collected over our time, most being books on training. Then after that are the bedrooms, with mine being the last one on the left, and you can take anyone for now while I redecorate your actual room."

"Redecorate?"

"Yes. Unless you think you can sleep in a crib?" she asked with a grin. Naruto nodded after a few moments, realizing what she meant. That room was filled with everything that was going to be his if Kushina hadn't been sent flying and his dad hadn't died.

"Now we have one more place to go." she grinned as she walked back downstairs. Once at the foot of the stairs she placed her hand on the banister, pumping chakra into it, causing the stair so drop down, revealing the way into the basement. Following Kushina they reached a massive room, divided into segments. One was training mats, with practice dummies and targets. Another was a desk with a bright light over it and several ink jars and brushes. The last had several racks of weapons, from a kunai knives and shurikens to morning stars and giant battle axes.

"This is the training room. Here you can practice anything you like, and this entire room is covered with seals so that it can stop the foundation from being damaged if you unleash a particularly viscous attack down here, and it also has repairitive powers so it can recover from said viscous attack without you tunneling your way to the other side of the world." Kushina grinned "And that's that. You have seen everywhere you can go in this house."

"Wow. You and dad really went all out on this." He whistled.

"Can't take all the credit. This is the Namikaze compound, so it was built like this a long time ago, your father simply updated whatever needed to be." she grinned.

"Well it is still great. So I'll go get my stuff out of my apartment and be back soon." Naruto grinned.

"Great! And while you're doing that I will get started on repairing this place." Kushina laughed as the two walked back upstairs. Kushina created ten Kage Bushin, having each designated jobs. Two were sent up to clean out Naruto's room and make it ready for him. Two were sent to start dusting the study and library. Two into the kitchen to start cleaning the dishes and appliances. Three were sent outside to clean up the yard, and make it look presentable. Two were sent into the dining room and living room to wash the tables and dust the furniture. Kushina herself went into the the lounge to start cleaning in there, while checking the books to make sure that Jiraya hadn't been through again and added his own works onto the shelves. Naruto was going through his apartment, looking at what he thought would be important.

"Lets see. I've got my clothes, my hidden money stash, my shinobi tools. Don't need the food, or anything else. Man I really do not have much." he sighed as he realized that he didn't even need to make any clones to help him carry his stuff. Walking back he realized that he was only a short distance from the Hyuga compound.

"_Great Kami above. It's like they are trying to get us together." he mentally laughed._

"_Just accept it Kit, your mate has been chosen." Kyubi grinned._

Naruto just sighed as he walked back inside the compound to see that the Kushina clones had already taken care of the front of the compound. The grass was cut, the weeds pulled from the gardens, and the front had been painted it's pristine white again. Walking inside he saw that the clones had already cleaned the front hall, and from what he guess the upstairs was almost done. Walking up he saw that the door to his room was open, and being curious he walked in to see that all of the baby items weren't there, and instead was a bed, a desk with a light over it, and a large dresser and closet. Smiling Naruto went about putting what little he had away, and once finished walked down to the lounge to see Kushina pulling a few books off of the shelf and placing them in a large pile.

"What's all that mom?" he asked.

"You father's teacher's books." she replied. Shrugging Naruto grabbed one and started flipping through it, flying back with an instant nosebleed.

"NARUTO!" she exclaimed.

"What in the world..." he trailed off "That was the book Kakashi-sensei is always reading."

"Oh is he now?" Kushina asked with an evil glint in her eyes.

"Why would anyone write that, let alone read it!"

"Some people just do." She sighed "Your father's sensei, Jiraya, calls himself a Mega Pervert, and really is, since he has been beaten by angry women more times then he can count."

"So what are you going to do with all of those?" Naruto asked.

"Lock them away, since Jiraya gave them to us it is a waste to destroy it. Besides, one day we can sell them for a small fortune." Kushina grinned as she moved them into a large box that was quickly chained shut "So are you all settled into your room?"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded.

"Good. Well tonight we can go out for dinner, and then on the way back we can start grocery shopping." Kushina nodded as they finished cleaning. That night once finished Naruto led the way to Ichiraku Ramen where the blond sat with a wide grin on his face.

"NARUTO!" Teuchi shouted at seeing his favorite customer.

"Hey Teuchi-jiji-sama." Naruto grinned.

"Who's this?" he asked looking at Kushina.

"I'm Kushina Uzumaki, Naruto's mother." she smiled.

"His mother!" Teuchi exclaimed "That's great! I'm happy for you Naruto, first five bowls are on me in celebration! AYAME, we need five of the usual for our best customer and his mother!"

"WHAT?" Ayame shouted as she ran out to see the red haired woman sitting next to their favorite blond.

"Heya Ayame-nii-chan!" Naruto smiled.

"Hello." Kushina nodded.

"That's Naruto's mom!"

"Yep, now lets get to work!" Teuchi exclaimed as they started making the ramen.

"What is the usual?" Kushina asked.

"Interchanging bowls of ramen. Starts with Beef, then Pork, Chicken, Shrimp and the Miso, and it continues on until I'm done eating."

"And how much do you eat?" she asked.

"On average or my record?" he grinned.

"Both."

"My average is about twenty bowls, though my record stands at forty." Naruto laughed.

"Oh really? And have you been eating other things?" Kushina asked.

"Whenever I could. But here is the only place that hasn't over charged me and their ramen is great!"

"I see." Kushina nodded as the ramen arrived.

"So if you don't mind my asking where have you been?" Teuchi asked.

"I was separated from Naruto during the Kyubi attack." she explained "I lost my memories for a time, but during Naruto's last mission we met and I regained what I had lost."

"And his father?" Ayame asked.

"He... he passed away. He died in the attack."

"Oh." Ayame gasped.

"HEY! Enough depressing talk!" Naruto shouted as he finished his first bowl "This is supposed to be a happy occasion!"

"He's right!" Teuchi agreed "Now let's enjoy this!" So for the evening the four of them simply laughed and talked, enjoying the happy time.

The next day Naruto was meeting with Kurenai who said she had someone to introduce him to. Walking through the village they arrive at a large square building that seemed to give off a sinister aura.

"Umm, where are we Kurenai-sensei, and why am I the only one here?"

"This is the I&T department, and your here to meet another sensei for you. You see, after what you did to the Oni brothers to get information I thought I should let you intern here, to learn some new tricks." Kurenai replied "And you will be working under one of my closest friends, so don't worry."

"Ok..." he trailed off as they walked in and were escorted to an office on the second floor.

"Well just go on in, and remember you have training tomorrow with the rest of your teammates." Kurenai smiled as she left. Shrugging Naruto knocked on the door, and waited a few moments. When no one responded he simply walked in, to have a kunai thrown at him. Leaping to the side he rolled, taking out his guns and aiming at the person who had thrown the kunai. She was a young woman, a little younger the Kurenai with purple hair, a fishnet top under a dark purple tube top, and a dark purple short skirt, with a tan trench coat over it all.

"Wow gaki, you have some balls." she grinned as she shunsuied next to him "But that's not enough."

"Try me." he grinned as he elbowed her, only for her to grab his arm and lock him in place.

"I like you already gaki. So you're the new intern that Kurenai-chan said would be coming over?"

"Yeah." he grunted.

"Well what do you know about Interrogation and Torture?" she asked.

"They are both mind games basically. If you can make your target think you have all the cards and are offering the best deal, or the easiest way out of their current problem then they will likely break and tell you what you want to know. But Torture lets you prove you will follow through on said threat."

"An interesting theory." Anko nodded "Alright, I like you. Now do you have any experience in torture or interrogation?"

"Only one. On my last mission we captured the Oni brothers, and once they were awake I made them think I injected them with Black Mamba venom and that they were going to die if they didn't tell me what I wanted to know. In reality I injected them with ink."

Anko started laughing at this, letting go of his arm as she held her sides.

"OH MY! THAT WAS YOU!" she laughed "I thought it was some jonin with a sick sense of humor! YOU are so staying with me!"

"What?"

"Interns are allowed to go with others to see what method works best for them, but there is no way I am letting anyone else work with you!" Anko grinned as she leaned closer "If you keep doing work like that I might have to start rewarding you." giving a flirty wink she motioned for him to follow. Nodding he walked behind her as he thought about how this woman was a friend of Kurenai-sensei's.

"Alright gaki. Since you already know the basics I am going to have you sitting in on a few of my sessions before we turn you loose on a few of your own." she explained "The entire purpose of this department is to get as much information out of these scum bags as possible. Once you break them they are very useful to us alive rather then dead. So for the first few you will watch me and a few other people work on these bastards, and from there we will see how you do with some help and then as your last one you get full reign."

"Sounds like fun." he grinned.

"Man gaki, you are going to be my favorite intern. Who knows, maybe we might be more then that." she grinned. Taking the blond jinchuruki down to the first floor she led him to an observation room where they walked in to watch as the head of the department was interrogating a foreign shinobi.

"Well it says here you are from Kusa, but we all knew that." he began as he looked at the clipboard. The nin just sat silently as Ibiki walked around.

"So how about we make this a quick one and you tell me what I want to know?"

"Not a chance in hell Konaha bastard!"

"Very well." Ibiki nodded as he walked over, taking out several long nails. Walking over he pounded two into the nin's hands points facing up, earning a shudder of pain from him. Next he put two more through his feet in a similar manner.

"Ready to talk?" Ibiki asked, only to be greeted with silence "Very well." he nodded as he walked over and got four candles, setting them on the nails. Taking out a match he lit each candle and stood back as the burning wax began to drip onto his hands and feet, burning them.

"All you have to do is say when you're ready, so take you time." Ibiki grinned as he turned to leave "Oh, one last thing. Those candles, once the wax starts to drip over begins to crawl up your arms and legs to make room for more, so eventually it will encase your entire body, and the heat won't cease until you are either dead or willing to talk, and death won't come quickly." Walking out of the room he went to the observation room to see Anko munching on dango while Naruto watched intently.

"So this is the new intern." Ibiki noted "Kind of young."

"Trust me, he's good." Anko grinned "You know the Oni brothers, the ones who had all that ink in their blood?"

"Yeah?"

"That was him. Made them think it was Black Mamba venom!" she laughed. Ibiki smirked at this. It took a convincing liar to make two chunin rank nin believe that they had been poisoned by something lethal.

"Any chance I can take him for a few sessions?" he asked.

"NO WAY!" Anko grinned "That blond hottie is mine."

"Excuse me?" Naruto said looking at her.

"You heard me." she winked as Naruto sighed.

"So what do you think of my method?" Ibiki asked.

"Kind of boring to be honest." Naruto shrugged "But it is effective so that is all that matters."

"Ha!" Anko laughed "He's bored of your method. At least mine is amusing."

"Yeah, but as he said it's results that matter." Ibiki grinned "Besides, he will be willing to talk once the wax has hit his genitals."

"That's just scary." Naruto shivered.

"It gets the job done." Ibiki replied as they continued to talk until the nin started shouting that he would talk "Well it's time to get to work."

Nodding Ibiki walked back to the main room and began getting answers about the nin's purpose for being there. Once he was finished the man was taken to a holding cell while Anko took Naruto to a few other rooms to watch how each interrogator worked. Once they finished Anko walked with the blond out.

"Well since it is so late and we don't have too many people left to demonstrate on why don't we call it a day and get something to eat?" she offered.

"I suppose we could." Naruto nodded as she grabbed his hand and dragged him to her favorite bar for dango and sake.

"Drink up."

"I'm underage." he noted "And my mom would kill me if I come home drunk."

"You got that fox in you right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well doesn't he purify alcohol before it can intoxicate you?"

Naruto face planted at this, having never thought of that.

"Dammit! I could have been drinking with Kenshin-sensei!" he exclaimed as he took a seat "But I am still underage."

"You're a shinobi. You are allowed to get a drink whenever you want as long as you have your shinobi license with you." Anko laughed as she motioned for the bartender to bring him some sake and dango as well. Shrugging the boy joined his teacher in the consumption of her favorite food and drink. Late that night Kushina walked into the bar to find Naruto sitting there with Anko, both of them laughing like mad.

"Naruto." Kushina growled.

"Uh... Hi mom." Naruto grinned.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Uh..."

"IT IS MIDNIGHT YOUNG MAN!" she roared as she grabbed him by his ear and dragged him out "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HOME HOURS AGO!"

"Ma'am." Anko slurred "It's my fault. I took him here..." She never got to finished as she collapsed on the bar.

"Kami." Kushina sighed as she looked at Naruto who seemed fine "How much have you had?"

"Twice as much as Anko-sensei did. The tenant was able to handle all of that, though now he seems thoroughly wasted." Naruto noted.

"Hrm. Well let's get your sensei home and then you to bed. You have to be up early tomorrow for team training." Kushina noted as she picked up the drunken jonin. After getting directions to her apartment they dropped her off and went back home for the night.

For the next month Naruto was very busy. Most days he was either training with his team, working on teamwork and other important things, while on other days he was at the I&T department, learning about torture and interrogation. He also made time to visit with Haku, since she apparently was always stopping by the house looking for him. The two would either stay in the house, talking about their lives, or Naruto would take her out around Konaha, showing her different things that related to the villages history or that were just kind of cool.

At the I&T department he was becoming a "pro" as Anko said. He knew how to make people think whatever he wanted them to, and so Anko said that soon he would be allowed to go solo and interrogate someone without another certified member being there. It was a month later that he was allowed to have his first victim to torture. The man was from Iwa and he had been caught sneaking into Konaha, in the clan district.

"Good morning." Naruto grinned as he walked into the room, carrying the clipboard and a small wrapped up bundle "Hope you are enjoying our hospitality, since you're going to be here awhile. Or not, depending if you're feeling talkative." The nin just stared daggers at the boy. Shrugging Naruto looked over the clipboard before refocusing on the man.

"Well lets try being nice first, I mean you never know, not all Iwa shinobi are fools." Naruto grinned as the mans eyes got angry "So tell me, what is your name?" The man didn't answer, instead spitting on Naruto as Anko in the other room winced at this.

"Not a smart move." she noted.

"Alright then. We do things the hard way." Naruto nodded as he opened up the bundle. Inside were several large needles, some thicker then others, but each one of them at least six inches long, some close to a foot. Grabbing two of the largest ones he walked over to the man looking at the man before he placed the first needle. It was a thick one that he rammed into the small space where the arm connects with the shoulder, doing this to both sides.

"Now I love my symmetry, so let's get things going. I am going to ask you one more time before I start, what is your name?"

The man squirmed in discomfort at the needles but didn't say a word.

"Fine." Naruto nodded as he channeled fire chakra into his hands, touching the needles that became red hot in a matter of seconds, earning agonizing scream from the man.

"Ready? NO? All right then." Naruto nodded as he took out another two, stabbing them into his elbows, and again offering. Once declined he used this again, connecting them to a circuit so the heat wouldn't leave the needles, earning a terrible scream from the man.

"So what's your name?"

"Nagi, Nagi Nagase."

"Ok. So what were you doing here?"

"I was exploring..." Nagi began but was soon writhing in pain.

"Liar." Naruto grinned "Now as punishment you've earned four more needles and for me to leave you with endless pain for five minutes." Walking back to the clothe he took out four more and placed two in the joints of his ankles, and two behind his kneecaps. Walking out of the room he heard Nagi scream in pain as the heat was worse now then before. Walking into the observation room he looked over at Anko.

"So how am I doing?"

"Not too bad." Anko grinned "It's not all that bloody, but it is very interesting to watch him writhing in pain from those needles. How many more can you put in?"

"Well for the basic joints I can add another four, his wrists and then where his legs connect with his waist. After that I can start using his fingers, his spine, and any other place where the bones aren't a solid piece." Naruto laughed.

"Well don't leave him like that for too long. We do want answers." she grinned as the blond nodded and walked back. Once inside he looked at the man.

"Ready to try again Nagi? Why were you here?"

"I... I was sent."

"By who and for what purpose?"

"By the Sandaime Tsuchikage." Nagi panted "To see if a rumor was true..."

"What rumor?"

"We heard a rumor... That the son of the Red Death had been found... And that he was the son of... The Yodaime Hokage... the Sandaime wanted to see... If it was true..."

"I see. And what were you to do once this was found out?"

"Either... Eliminate the boy... Or report back so... A stronger Shinobi could be... Sent..."

"Alright then." Naruto nodded as he gave the signal for the man to be taken away. After taking out the needles the man was taken to a holding cell.

"Not too bad gaki." Anko grinned "Your time was ten minutes eleven seconds, from the time you entered til the time he was taken away. For an intern that is unheard of, for a certified member that is impressive."

"Thanks Anko-sensei. Does this mean I'm done?"

"Not quite." Anko grinned as she leaned down "You still need to get paid."

"Paid?" Naruto asked taking a step back.

"Oh yes... You must be paid." She grinned stepping closer and leaning into his face, which was quickly turning red. Suddenly she pulled up a slip of paper between them "This is yours, take this to the the Hokage Tower and you will get paid for having completed an A rank mission." Handing him the paper she grinned "And you thought I was going to something indecent."

"I did." he nodded.

"Not in here, the one way window." she laughed "Maybe another time Naruto-kun." Naruto simply turned red as he walked out after her, heading for the Hokage tower.

The next day Team 8 had a team meeting and Naruto was curious about what it was for.

"Good morning everyone." Kurenai smiled as she walked over "I've got some good news for you."

"What is it Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata asked.

"I've nominated all of you to take the chunin exams. Here are your forms, just fill them out and go to classroom 301 on Sunday. Be there by 10." she smiled as she left, leaving them looking at the forms.

"Well what do you guys think?" Naruto asked after reading the form.

"It is an honor to take part in this." Shino noted "Not many first year genin take this test."

"Yeah." Naruto nodded "What do you think Hinata?"

"I don't know... It is an honor... but it's also dangerous." Hinata pointed out.

"Well we don't have to go if any of you don't want to." Naruto replied "It should be unanimous."

"I agree." Shino nodded "We will need to work together more then anything else, so if one of us doesn't think that they are ready then none of us should go."

"Well I think we are, we should just be careful." Hinata nodded.

"And I say that we are ready." Shino nodded.

"Hell yeah we are ready!" Naruto grinned as they all decided to talk to their parents about the exams. On their way home Naruto and Hinata came across Konahamaru being held in the air by someone in a full body suit and face paint on.

"Damn shrimp ran in to me." he cursed.

"Just put him down Kankuro." the girl behind him sighed.

"No way Temari. This little brat is going to pay." Kankuro growled as he reared back a punch.

"Bang bang." Naruto remarked as he fired two shots. The first hit the oncoming fist, stopping it, the second hit the wrist that was connected to the hand holding up Konahamaru. The young student dropped to the ground where he quickly ran behind Naruto.

"YOU!" Kankuro shouted as he reached over his shoulder.

"Kankuro! If you use Crow here Garra will kill you!" Temari exclaimed.

"That fucker has insulted me Temari. I don't care." Kankuro growled.

"Might want to retract that statement, since Garra is already here." Naruto noted looking up in the tree where a red haired boy with a massive gourd on his back stood.

"Garra!" Kankuro exclaimed.

"You are a disgrace Kankuro. Now stop before I kill you." Garra rasped as he shunsuied down in front of Naruto.

"_Fast!" Naruto noted._

"_No kidding. I can smell Shukaku, the Ichibi, on him. He's probably it's container." Kyubi noted._

"Who are you?" Garra asked.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto replied "And I am like you brother."

"What is he talking about?" Kankuro muttered.

"Really now?" Garra smirked as he turned away "I look forward to seeing what you are capable of then, Naruto." This got wide eyed looks from both Kankuro and Temari.

"He's never acknowledged anyone else as his equal before. Not even father." Kankuro said.

"I know." Temari nodded "Who are you exactly Naruto Uzumaki?"

"What you see is what you get." Naruto grinned as he watched them leave. Nodding to himself Naruto walked Hinata the rest of the way home while thinking about the sand siblings. Garra himself was grinning madly, knowing that he had finally found a worthy opponent for his mother to feast on.

"Soon mother. Soon you will feast on a great meal." Garra promised as Shukaku was in an uproar for not having fought that blond who seemed to give off pure power.


	11. First Exam

_AN* First off, I am sorry that this is such a short chapter, but I didn't want to combine this one and the next chapter so I just kept them seperated. Next matter is the reviews that I recieved._

_Volos: Honestly I am not too sure. I have the makings for either one, but this will mainly be a NaruHina fic._

_Jrf Steel: That was a typo. I caught it later on and made sure that it doesn't pop up again. And if you see any other mistakes do let me know. I am only human and a machine is only as smart as the human that uses it._

_narutoxyugitoxtentenftw: Don't like, don't read, it is that simple._

_Ex10: Well they are always comparing Kushina to Naruto in the canon, so I figured make her act like that. She can be serious when she needs to be but she likes to have fun. Besides after just being reunited with her son she is going to be a little weird._

_wolfsrainrules: Yeah, I like him working in the T&I department. Don't expect to see him there too often in the writing, but I will try to have him there every now and then._

_Ashleythetiger: Haku is female in this. I always thought Haku was a girl and so whenever I do Naruto fanfics I make Haku female if I have the chance._

_golfaholic: I know what you mean with the harem thing. I made that mistake with my first naruto fanfic and it was just awful. I am working on revising that one at the moment. And since I am still undecided on whether or not this will be a harem fic I do not plan on having the CRA in there._

_Narutodragon: Thank you for the praise. I hoped that I did a good job. One of the hardest things was deciding which worlds to go to and how many of them. I thought I did a good job but praise like that makes me feel a lot better about it._

_OK, now onto what you are all here for, the chapter. And leave your reviews at the end._

_First Exam_

Team 8 arrived early on Sunday, making their way up to the third floor, stopping at the massive crowd on the second floor.

"This is kind of sad." Naruto noted as he started walking on the ceiling, heading to the staircase.

"Where are you going?" a genin blocking the door shouted.

"To take the exam." Naruto answered as the rest of his team followed suit and were walking on the ceiling behind him. The genin all started to realize that this was only the second floor and that the exam was on the third. Once they were past the road block they saw Kurenai waiting for them.

"Well you are all here, so best of luck and no matter how you do in these exams I am proud of you three." Kurenai smiled as the genin nodded, walking inside where they saw that there were already tons of genin in the room, all of them staring at the three new comers.

"What are you looking at?" Naruto asked, flaring his KI, scaring several dozen people in the room who had never felt such a killer intent, with the exception of two.

"_What KI. He has the look of power about him, one who seeks strength. Perhaps I should mark him as well. Kukukuku." _A female Kusa nin thought.

"_Such KI. He will help prove my existence without a doubt." _Gaara thought, his own KI rising. Moving to the side the rest of the genin 9 arrived, making a huge scene.

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino shouted as she glomped him "Have you missed me?"

"Get off of him Ino-pig!" Sakura shouted.

"Kami." Naruto sighed "I'm about to shoot both of them and spare us the headache."

"At least you don't have to listen to her all the time." Shikamaru sighed. While Naruto talked with Shikamaru, Kiba had walked up to Hinata.

"Hey Hinata, how would you like to go out with me once we are done here?" he asked.

"I'm sorry Kiba, but I will have to decline." Hinata replied.

"Aw come on!" Kiba grinned "Just give me a chance."

"I'm sorry Kiba but I'm not interested." Hinata sighed.

"Just one date!" he growled.

"Kiba, stop." Hinata snapped.

"Leave her be." Naruto growled as he looked at the Inuzuka.

"Or what?" Kiba grinned "You gonna fight me?"

"No." Naruto replied as Kiba's grin widened "I'm going to kill you."

"Like hell!" Kiba growled as he tried to punch the blonde. As soon as he moved Naruto slipped under his fist, a gun drawn and pressed against his ribs.

"Want to find out what happens at point blank range?" Naruto asked as he pressed the gun harder into Kiba's ribs.

"You wouldn't!" Kiba growled. All that was heard a cry of pain as Kiba went flying into the ceiling from the gunshot.

"Don't doubt me." Naruto sighed.

"You really shouldn't cause such a scene." an older teen remarked as he walked over.

"And who are you?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh, my name is Kabuto Yakushi. I'm what you would call a veteran of this exam."

"Really?" Sakura asked "How many times have you taken it?"

"Well this is my eighth time."

"Wow you suck." Naruto noted.

"It's not that, it's just that these exams are very difficult." Kabuto sighed "But because I've been through here so many times I have plenty of information on the other contenders, in these ninja cards." Smiling the older nin held up a stack of cards "These have country information, as well as personal information."

"All competitors?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah." Kabuto nodded.

"Give me Rock Lee, Gaara no Subaku, and Naruto Uzumaki." Sasuke grinned.

"No fair. You even know their names." Kabuto sighed as he took out the cards. "OK, first is Rock Lee. He has completed over fifty D rank missions, and twelve C rank missions. He has little to no ninjutsu or genjutsu skills, however he has extraordinary taijutsu skills, these are said to rival most chunin in abilities. Next is Gaara no Subaku. He has completed an unknown amount of D rank missions, over twenty C rank and one B rank. And it's said he has never gotten injured while on any of these missions."

"That's interesting." Sasuke nodded.

"Lastly is Naruto Uzumaki." Kabuto began as he felt a gun against his head.

"This is where your little show ends." Naruto noted "Now give me that card, or I will blow your head off of your shoulders."

"Think you can?" Kabuto asked.

"You try anything and I pull both triggers." Naruto replied as the others looked to see that his other gun was also out, aimed behind him at the Oto nin who were about to make a move on the distracted genin and Kabuto's teammates.

"Alright. Here you go." Kabuto nodded as he handed him the card. Naruto looked at it, pumping chakra in to see that it was a very accurate depiction of his abilities "How did you get this information?"

"Hard work." Kabuto replied as the proctor arrived.

"All right you little shit stains, take your seats!" Ibiki roared as the genin moved around the room, with Naruto moving past Ibiki.

"Make sure to look at my test." Naruto said as he took his seat. Ibiki then explained the test and how they would have fifty minutes to answer the questions. Naruto looked at his paper and almost went ballistic. The test was hardest thing that he had ever seen.

"_Hey Kyubi?"_

"_What Kit?"_

"_Can you answer any of these questions?"_

There was a few moments of silence as the demon lord looked at each of the questions.

"_Nope. And why would I need to know it, I'm a demon lord after all."_

"_Damn."_

Looking back at the test he noted that everyone was trying to cheat in one way or another, so Naruto went through his mind to try and think of something that would be useful, but found nothing. Shrugging to himself he wrote on the test, and placed the nin card next to the writing. Closing his eyes he placed his head down on the desk as he waited for the fifty minutes to pass. As time went by many genin were getting taken out, most for cheating in such an obvious way. Once the time was up Ibiki told them the rules relating to the final question.

"So you mean if we choose to take the question then we might be stuck as genin forever?" Ino asked in shock.

"That's right. So what will you do?" Ibiki asked, watching several people giving up and leaving. Once about half the class was gone he looked around and saw nothing but determination.

"All right, you all pass." Ibiki grinned as the genin looked confused.

"What are you talking about?" Kiba shouted.

"The tenth question was to see if you were all ready to take that leap of faith. There are some missions where we will not have any or very little information, or even worse, false information, and you are assigned to retrieve something, but you don't know the amount of enemy nin, the location of the item, or even the skill level of your opponent's. So do you take this mission, or wait for a safer one? YOU take it of course! Anyone who would back down for the sake of protecting their own hides is worse then trash and doesn't deserve to become a chunin."

"So what was the point of the test?" Temari asked.

"To test your information gathering skills." Ibiki replied "That test was far too hard for a normal genin to do on their own, so we had a few chunin sitting around the room to offer you the correct answers if you could find them. Now your next proctor is..." Just then a large black sphere came crashing through the window and opened up to reveal a banner held up by kunai knives. The banner read "Anko Mitarashi, Sexy Kunochi."

"All right. I'm Anko Mitarashi, your second proctor." Anko shouted.

"SWEET!" Naruto shouted.

"Well if it isn't my favorite blonde. I see you got past the first test." Anko smiled "But so did too many of you. Well, doesn't matter, I will be cutting your numbers in half. Now all of you follow me to training ground 44." Leaping out the window that she had just broken the genin all moved quickly to try and keep up with the insane jonin. Once they arrived at the training ground Anko turned to face them.

"All right! This is training ground 44, also known as The Forest of Death." she grinned as she got the desired effect on almost all of the genin, except Naruto, the Suna team, the Oto team, and the Kusa team "This exam will have each of you carrying one of these scrolls, either a heaven scroll or an earth scroll. Your objective is to get both of them and make it to the tower in the center of the forest within five days. Any of you who open your scrolls before you get to the tower, or don't get there at all within the five days, will be taken out of the exams. Now everyone fill out a liability waver and then you are allowed to get your scroll. Then head to your assigned gate." Each team nodded and made the process of getting their selves ready, while Naruto had Hinata and Shino wait til the end, watching each team, with Hinata using her Byakugan to watch them as they left. Once almost all of the teams had left Team 8 went up to get their scroll.

"You were watching them weren't you?" Anko asked with a grin.

"And if we were?" Naruto asked with an equally large grin.

"Then I am going to win the pool."

"What pool?" Hinata asked.

"There's a bet among the jonin about what teams are going to finish and how quickly. At the moment you three are the favorite Konahagakure team. And the prediction is that you will be there by day four at the latest. I said by day three."

"Well I'd hate to disappoint you Anko-sensei." Naruto grinned "I'll make sure we get there by day three."

"That's my gaki." Anko grinned as she kissed his cheek "Now get to your gate and go kick some ass!" As they left Hinata shot Anko a glare that said to back off. All Anko did was stick her tongue out as she went back to work.

Once all the genin were at their gates they were announced to enter and start their second test.


	12. The Forest of Death

_AN* Ok, the feedback I have been getting on this story had been great, so please keep it up. now to answer some of the reviews:_

_Ex10: I agree to an extent, I just couldn't think of anything really to do with that part of the exam, I never really can._

_Najiro: While I do agree that those two do have a ton in common and I have read a few fics that make great use of that pairing, I see Anko as more of the older sister to Naruto, and the flirting is just her being crazy, but you never know, enough reviews and I might change things up while I still have the time._

_Lucifer's Remnants: No. I am not adding his own mother to this. That is just wrong on so many different levels that I really don't want to think about it._

_Haymitch Abernathy: Too true. That was why I added it in, since I spent a while debating on what the second world should be._

_Ok, not as many reviews as I would have hoped for, but maybe more of you will review with this chapter. Now relax and enjoy the latest chapter._

_The Forest of Death_

As soon as they entered Naruto had them stop, barely ten yards inside the forest.

"Ok, Hinata, remember where the closest Heaven scroll was?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. It was to the west of ours, two gates."

"Ok. Here's the plan. I want you both to keep moving towards the tower, get as close as you can then hide yourself very well." Naruto ordered.

"WHY?" they both asked.

"Because I'm going to go steal that scroll, and it will be easier to hide in here by myself." he replied.

"No." Hinata growled "I am not leaving you alone in here."

"She is right Naruto. It is better to work as a team then separate." Shino nodded.

"Fine..." Naruto trailed off. Honestly he was glad that they fought this plan, but it made things much harder. Nodding the three of them made their way through the forest until they were on the trail of the team with the heaven scroll. They soon found them camped for the night, all of them tense but relaxing, having hung back a bit to make sure that the other teams were ahead of them.

"So what should we do?" Hinata asked.

"I'll distract them, then you two get the scroll. Hinata where is is it exactly?" Naruto asked.

"It's in the bag on the left. Hidden under several different items." Hinata reported.

"Ok. I'll force them away from the bag and then you two go in and grab it. Once you have it we run. I'll be bringing up the rear, to provide cover fire. Shino have your bugs on standby, watching out for anything getting too close to our position, now and once we start moving. Hinata, we need you to have your byakugan active since you will be leading us out of danger."

"Understood." Shino nodded.

"You are a regular strategist Naruto-kun." Hinata giggled as Naruto nodded, moving off to another spot. Once he was in position, he took out his guns, and began the attack on a team of shinobi from Konaha. The three had thought themselves clever for stopping this far back, but once the attack came they knew that they were in trouble. The projectiles came flying into the campsite, forcing them to move for cover and away from the bags.

"Dammit!" one shouted as a chakra bullet whizzed past his head. The three had taken cover while Hinata and Shino had gone and grabbed the pack, taking the scroll out and starting to run.

"SHIT! They have our scroll!" one shouted as he tried to follow, but was quickly deterred by a burst of bullets. Naruto seeing that they had the scroll quickly followed, sending a last minute burst of fire as he made his way towards his team. Leaping through the trees he quickly caught up to his team, stopping in a small clearing.

"That was great." Naruto grinned.

"Agreed. It was precise and there was no unnecessary loss of life." Shino nodded "But now we must get to the tower."

"It won't be that bad, but we should rest for the night. So let's start setting up camp. Hinata, go get fresh water please, Shino, could you make us some kind of shelter."

"What will you be doing?" Hinata asked.

"I'll be setting up traps for anyone dumb enough to attack us." Naruto grinned as he got to work. Late that night the three were in the hollowed out tree that Shino had made for them, sitting around a small fire, started using animal droppings.

"I still can't believe that this works." Naruto sighed.

"It is rather useful." Shino nodded as he leaned back "And since it is a smokeless fire we don't have to worry about the smoke alerting someone of our position."

"That's true. I just wished it smelled better." Hinata grinned as the Naruto laughed while Shino nodded his head.

"So what do you think the other teams are doing?" Hinata asked.

"Probably resting. I doubt too many teams have been eliminated." Shino mused.

"At most I would guess that no more then three teams have been taken out of the exam right now." Naruto nodded.

"Why three?" Hinata asked.

"Well, anyone to run across that Suna team is likely to be dead since the red head is a jinchuruki, and he likes blood and a lot of it. Then the team we took out, and it is safe to say that another team has been either beaten or killed by the wildlife." Naruto explained.

"Very well thought out. And yet your academic grades are so pitiful." Shino grinned.

"I'm better in the actual situation myself, not in a hypothetical one." Naruto complained. The three talked for several more hours before they decided to rest. The next day they moved out, heading towards the tower when Naruto stopped, seeing team 7 in trouble.

"Should we help?" Naruto asked "I don't know who they are fighting, but they are not a genin."

"We should continue on." Shino noted "It is not our problem."

"True." Hinata agreed. Naruto thought on the matter until he finally made up his mind.

"You go on ahead."

"Naruto, we've already had this discussion." Hinata sighed.

"I can't in good faith leave them down there to get themselves killed. They are really out classed."

"Naruto." Shino sighed.

"Listen. They might not do the same thing for me, but I should be the better person and save them." Naruto growled.

"Fine. But you have until sunset to catch up, otherwise we are going to come get you and beat you senseless." Hinata sighed. Naruto grinned, giving her a quick kiss that made her head swim, and he leapt off the branch they were on, his guns out and blasting into the woman that Sasuke and Sakura were fighting, or better to say Sasuke fighting and Sakura hiding from.

"What on earth!" the woman shouted as she moved out of the line of fire to see the blond land on a nearby branch.

"Yo." Naruto grinned as he held the guns up.

"Why are you here? I have no business with you." the woman asked.

"You're picking on fellow leaf shinobi, and since I can't just leave them like this I thought I might as well lend a hand." Naruto grinned.

"It's not needed dope." Sasuke growled.

"There you see. You are not wanted here, so just go now and I will forget all about this."

"Not a snowballs chance in hell." Naruto grinned "Just because the emo king's pride won't let him accept help from another, doesn't mean I'm not going to help anyways."

"Very well then. I will just kill you!" she roared as she charged at him, using a strange form of taijutsu that made her move like a snake. Naruto weaved around the strikes, holstering his guns and focusing on the strange woman. Using jujitsu Naruto started trying to incapacitate the woman who slipped out of his grip and started striking him with powerful blows.

"You are far too weak!" she laughed as she kicked him to another branch.

"Ok. Now I'm mad." Naruto growled as he started mixing his chakra and the Kyubi's. Leaping forward he struck her with a palm thrust and let the electricity spread into her, forcing her to stop moving from the pain.

"Soul Authority." Naruto grinned as he continued fighting, working in the soul authority attack here or there, causing more damage until the woman seemed to have had enough. Leaping up she started using ninjutsu that created a massive burst of wind.

"Oh she's good." Naruto grinned as he used his god speed to catch up to the woman, his katana drawn. Swinging the blade he forced her to dodge and bring her own sword out of her mouth.

"Face the wrath of my blade Kusanagi." she roared as she slashed at him, forcing him to block the sword.

"_Be careful Kit!" Kyubi warned._

"_Why?"_

"_That sword emits dangerous poisons, that are always shifting their form so there is no set antidote for it. Even I'll have a hard time dealing with that." Kyubi growled._

"_Noted."_ Naruto then flipped back, dodging a powerful slash while looking at his katana. It had been damaged by the strike, and he knew that it wouldn't last much longer.

"Just one more strike." Naruto pleaded as he flipped back to the tree, leaping high above the woman "Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Ryutsuisen!" The blade came crashing down towards the woman who raised her sword up to block the attack, but didn't count for the weight behind it.

"What on earth!" she exclaimed as the sword finally shattered, but Naruto continued on down, managing to make a small cut. Flipping back Naruto sheathed his sword, while spinning clockwise.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Hiryusen!" Naruto shouted as he launched the blade out of the sheathe, having it smash in between the Kusa-nin's eyes.

"Whoa." Sakura whistled as she watched Naruto who was now taking out his guns to fight.

"That dope. How did he get so strong..." Sasuke cursed.

"Well Naruto-kun, I must admit that your strength has surprised me, along with that kenjutsu of yours. I look forward to fighting you again in the future, once you can get a blade more suited for you. But for now, I should finish what I came here to do." she laughed as she extended her neck towards Sasuke, taking a bite of his neck, injecting something.

"Get away from him!" Naruto shouted as he started blasting her body, pounding it into a tree. As her neck retracted he kept firing bullets until she was firmly planted in the trunk.

"Most impressive." She laughed as she turned into a Tsuchi Bushin.

"Damn." Naruto cursed as he dodged a fire ball.

"You are definitely worth looking into, Naruto-kun. Maybe I will mark you soon." she grinned as she fled.

"Damn." he cursed again as he looked at the other two. Sasuke was passed out from pain, Sakura was trying to tend to the emo, and Kiba was unconscious on the forest floor with Akamaru guarding him.

"What do we do?" Sakura sobbed in fear.

"You're a shinobi aren't you?" he asked.

"Yeah..."

"Then stop being so Kami damned pathetic." he roared "Get your team to shelter and hunker down for a day or two, until your team has recovered enough to continue onward."

"But..."

"And if you say that you don't know how, I swear I am going to punch you out and leave you for another team to find, one less merciful then me!"

Sakura looked at the blonde, knowing that he was right. Nodding she picked up Sasuke and looked at Naruto.

"Could you give me a hand with Kiba?" she asked. Naruto looked up at the sky, noting that he still had a few hours to catch up to his team.

"Fine. But once you are settled I am out of here. Need to catch up with my team."

"I just thought you were separated." she admitted.

"Not a chance. We saw you guys in trouble and I decided to lend a hand since you were severely out classed." Naruto shrugged "Besides I doubt Kakashi-sensei would be too happy about me passing his genin by when they needed help." Leaping down to the forest floor he grabbed Kiba and followed after Sakura to where she planned on hiding out for the night. Once there Akamaru started sniffing around the area until he was satisfied that it was suitable for him and Kiba.

"Alright. Now if you excuse me I will be leaving." Naruto nodded as he walked away.

"Naruto." Sakura called after him.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For helping us today, and I'm sorry about your katana."

"No worries. And you know what they say. No good deed goes unpunished. Besides I still have my taijutsu and my guns." Naruto nodded as he ran off, heading pack onto the trail to find his team. It was late in the evening when he caught up to where his team was camped, and he was exhausted.

"You're late." Shino noted.

"So sue me. I had to track you two down remember?"

"Still, you shouldn't have gone down there to help." Hinata chided "And we would have gone back after you if I hadn't seen you coming back before the deadline."

"I know. You are both too good to me." he sighed as he laid back.

"Naruto?" Shino asked.

"Yes?"

"What has happened to your katana?" Shino asked, looking at the empty sheathe.

"It's been destroyed."

"WHAT?" they both exclaimed.

"Yeah. That Kusa-nin was very strong, and had a sword down her throat apparently. Anyway her sword was very powerful and destroyed mine." Naruto replied "It's the price I paid for going to help them."

"I don't think it was worth it." Hinata noted.

"I think it was." Naruto grinned "Because whomever that woman was, she was no genin, and she marked Sasuke with something. By biting him, she injected something that created a mark on his neck. So whatever that is, I doubt it is good. She said she might try to do the same to me, and if she does then that means I know what to expect and can stop her before she gets the chance to inject me."

"So you got information of a future opponent at the cost of your sword for the next few days?" Shino summarized.

"That's the gist of it." Naruto nodded "And I can always replace the sword, it's the knowledge that is irreplaceable." Nodding they agreed that the information could be useful in the future, and with that they called it a night. The next day Team 8 made their way to the tower, arriving to see a large mural. After reading it Hinata figured it out first.

"We open both scrolls at the same time." she said.

"Ok." Naruto nodded as he took out the Earth scroll and Shino took out the Heaven scroll. Opening the scrolls together a puff of smoke appeared as Iruka appeared.

"Well congratulations you three." he smiled "You passed the second exam."

"Alright!" Naruto cheered.

"So do you understand the true meaning of the mural?" he asked the three who read it again.

"It's about balance." Naruto remarked "Heaven is meant to be intelligence, or how well you can think out a situation. Earth is physical strength, how well you can fight out of a situation."

"Correct. A true shinobi has an equal measure of both of these things, and will use them to their full ability." Iruka grinned "Now go get some rest, you have another two days left before the end of the exam."

"Sounds good." Naruto grinned as they walked further into the tower.


	13. Preliminaries

_AN* Ok, first thing, I am sadly disappointed with the amount of reviews that I recieved for this chapter. I was hoping for more of them, but I guess not._

_Belnonm: No, Orochimaru can destroy Naruto in a fight, the snake just didn't. He chose to watch Naruto and see what happens instead of actually getting into a fight with him. Naruto is strong, but he is not invincible as later chapters will show, he just uses his brain more, and with everyone underestimating him comes the serious advantage._

_Raidentensho: Sorry, but those three are going to stay as the only other worlds. I know enough about each of them where I can easily work Naruto in for the returns, while other suggestions that I have recived I have either not finished or just don't know enough about to use effectively. I will consider this if I ever do another fic similar to this later down the road, but for now I cannot use it._

_OK, now we move on to the latest chapter._

_Preliminaries_

For the next two days Team 8 relaxed, enjoying their time off, and finding out that they were in fact the second team to arrive. It turned out that Team Suna arrived the day before them, and that they had broken the previous record.

"Man, they didn't waste any time." Naruto noted as they walked through the tower, waiting to see who else would arrive.

"No they didn't. They will not be easy opponent's to beat." Shino nodded.

"No they will not." Hinata noted "But the youngest, Gaara, he worries me the most."

"Don't blame you on that one." Naruto replied "He's one scary mother fucker." The fifth day arrived and the teams were called into a large room where they were lined up so that they were in lines, by their team. Inside the room were the jonin sensei's for each team present and a few who were just waiting around.

" _There are six teams here right now, that makes eighteen of us." Naruto calculated._

"_Correct, but other teams might still arrive." Kyubi pointed out._

"_Yeah, that Kusa team still hasn't arrived yet. Or team 7 if they survived the night I left them."_

"_True, but there are other teams that might arrive. Got to be prepared."_

No sooner had the fox mentioned that when three teams walked in. One was team 7, looking worse for the wear but still smiling at their victory. The next was a Kiri team, this team was smiling confidently and were looking at the rest of the genin. The last team was a Kumo team, who looked tired, but they were still ready to continue on.

"Nine genin teams passed, more then I expected." Anko noted.

"You cut them down by more then two thirds though." Sarutobi noted "These are the elite of the bunch."

"I suppose." she nodded "Well some of them are." Looking at Team 8 and Suna.

"Attention!" the hokage shouted, making all twenty seven of the genin look over at him "I would first like to congratulate all of you for passing the second exam of the Chunin examination." The genin smiled at this as the Hokage continued explaining the purpose of the exams was to not only promote worthy genin, but to ease tensions between the nations so war would not break out "Now, we will be holding an exhibition tournament first, before we move on to the final round."

"WHAT?" all the genin shouted.

"Let me explain." the old man began as another jonin held up his hand.

"Sir *cough cough* perhaps I should explain." the jonin said.

"Very well then." Sarutobi nodded as he stepped back.

"Alright *cough* my name is Hayate Gekko, and I will be your next proctor. The reason we are having *cough* preliminaries is because there are too many of you. Since we will be having foreign diplomats attending, we do not want to bore them by having to watch all of you battle against each other. So we will have you all fight against each other first, to clear out half of you now, and therefore save us some time during *cough* the finals." Gekko explained "Now since there are twenty seven of you, is there anyone who would like to drop out now?" There was silence for a moment before Kabuto rose his hand.

"I will drop out." he stated.

"Very well. Your name is Kabuto Yakushi correct?" Kabuto nodded "Very well then you are dismissed."

"Isn't he the one Naruto warned us about?" Anko whispered to Ibiki.

"He is. The intel that he had on him was far to accurate, it had the name of every teacher he has ever had, including the ones he has only told the Hokage, and his team mates."

"And you know this how?"

"I checked the card myself and had Hokage-sama check it as well. He said that it had every instructor on there, along with every skill Naruto had as well. At the moment we have an ANBU team on his tail." Ibiki nodded as he looked at the remaining genin "So it is safe to assume that the rest of his team is also traitors."

"Now if there are no more drop outs, then we will commence with the preliminaries." Gekko proclaimed as a giant screen opened up flashing names for several seconds until it finally stopped "Omoi versus Lee. Everyone else move up to the spectators area."

The two shinobi faced each other, with Lee taking a fighting stance and facing Omoi who was staring at the green spandex wearing shinobi while sucking on his lollipop.

"Let us have a youthful match!" Lee shouted as he looked at Omoi who took the candy out of his mouth and looked at Lee.

"A youthful match. That could mean that this fight will be full of spirit and rush, with little to no forethought, or could he mean that we should act younger then we already are?" Omoi muttered as one of his teammates shouted at him.

"DAMMIT OMOI! QUIT OVER ANALYZING AND FIGHT!" she shouted.

"You may begin." Gekko said as Lee charged at Omoi who dodged the initial kick, weaving around until he stopped, staring at the Konaha genin.

"He's strong, probably a taijutsu user mainly. Which means fighting close quarters isn't a good idea, or it could mean that I should fight against him with his strength to throw him off." Omoi noted as he watched the leaf genin try to hit him. Dodging and ducking Omoi eventually drew the katana on his back and started to fight back, forcing the green spandex wearing genin away as he tried to cut him into pieces. After several minutes and Lee trying to get away from the Kumo nin he was eventually surprised from behind, with the blade of the katana against his neck.

"You give up?"

"Never!" Lee shouted as he headbutted the dark skinned genin and unleashed his attack "Konaha Senpuu (Leaf Whirlwind)!" Unleashing a high kick quickly followed by a low kick at the dark skinned genin who ducked and rolled to the other side as he looked at the damage done.

"If that had been me still standing there I could have been crushed, or perhaps killed." he muttered as his teammates sighed.

"You are a most youthful opponent! It will be a shame that I must defeat you!" Lee shouted as he charged again, taking off at a speed that surprised Omoi who simply leapt over the genin as he sheathed his blade, focusing on a jutsu.

"Raiton: Keimusho o inazuma(Lightning Prison)." Omoi said as the lightning shot out of his hands, forming a cage around Lee who tried to slip past and was electrocuted as a result "That cage is impossible for you to escape from. Unless you have a Raiton jutsu, in which case you could escape, and then we would have to keep fighting, and then one of us might be killed..."

"ENOUGHT OMOI!" his teammate shouted again as Lee said he was trapped.

"Winner Omoi!" Gekko coughed as the screen started showing the next set of names "Ichigo versus Samui."

"All right, show time!" Ichigo shouted as he leapt off the stands. He was close to five foot nine with a massive sword of almost equal length on his back, wrapped in clothe. His orange hair stood up in spikes and his brown eyes gleamed as he looked at the Kumo nin walking down the stairs. She was as tall as he was, with pale skin and blond hair. She was well endowed and had a kodachi strapped on her back.

"If both contenders are ready, you may begin!"

Ichigo struck first, his blade flashing as he swung it at her, the clothe unraveling and wrapping around his arm, revealing the massive knife like blade, with no guard on it. Samui began analyzing the situation and decided against an opponent like that, long range would be her best bet for the moment.

"Raiton: Inazuma(Lightning Bolt)." Samui said as the blue bolt of lightning shot off her pointed fingers, heading straight for the swordsman. The boy leapt out of the way of the attack, swinging his sword at her.

"Getsuga Tensho(Moon Fang Heaven Piercer)!" Ichigo shouted as a wave of blue chakra smashed into where Samui had been standing.

"What was that?" Sakura asked surprised.

"I'd say that was a chakra based attack." Naruto muttered "I think he channels chakra into that massive sword and then swings it, unleashing that attack we just saw."

"It appears so." Hinata nodded as she used her byakugan to examine Ichigo "He has a massive chakra network, easily equal to yours Naruto-kun. And his sword seems to be absorbing chakra from the air as well, making it even stronger."

"Whoa." Naruto whistled as he watched Ichigo continue to unleash the Getsuga Tensho, trying to hit Samui who leapt away from the carrot tops attacks.

"_Not good. I can't fight like this for too long, and judging by the way he is fighting he knows this. Guess I have to get in close."_ Samui thought as she lunged at him. Grinning Ichigo charged forward, meeting the blond halfway, swinging his sword as she drew her kodachi, blocking his attack while slipping down the blade and trying to kick his legs out.

"You may be strong." she said as she knocked him down and kicked his sword away "But without that sword I doubt you are too tough."

"Guess again." Ichigo grinned as he punched her in the stomach, beginning an impressive taijutsu battle, forcing her back while he destroyed her defenses with incredible strength that no normal genin should have had. Eventually Samui collapsed as Ichigo stood over her, waiting for the proctor to declare the winner.

"Winner Ichigo." Gekko nodded as Ichigo helped Samui up.

"Good fight." Ichigo grinned.

"Th... thank you." Samui nodded, surprised by his kind nature. Walking back to the stands, Ichigo grabbed his blade and walked over to his team who were looking at him and then both chastising him for using so much chakra in that fight.

"The next match is Choji versus Kankuro." The two nin leaping down, with Choji looking nervous about his opponent "Begin!" Choji deciding to try and end this battle before his opponent could use whatever was on his back used his Nikudan Sensha to charge at the Suna shinobi who held up his hands to stop the attack and was shoved back several feet.

"What the?" Choji muttered as suddenly the bundle on Kankuro's back opened revealing the real Kankuro using a Kugutsu no jutsu(Puppet Technique).

"Alright Crow, let him have it." Kankuro laughed as he had the puppet reveal itself from the sand casing around it and reveal poison blades that were ready to pierce the Akimichi.

"Winner Kankuro!" Gekko shouted before the other genin would be poisoned.

"Too easy." Kankuro grinned as he walked up to the stands again.

"The next round is Neji versus Zaku." Grinning the Hyuga branch member leapt down as the sound nin with the broken arms walked down.

"What happened to Zaku?" Tenten asked.

"Sasuke did that to him after he woke up." Sakura replied "He was kind of scary at first, but he did save me and Team 10."

"Really..." Naruto muttered as he looked over at the Uchiha who was watching the matches intently.

"You may begin." Gekko said as the two started, with Neji charging forward as Zaku managed to move one of his arms into position to fire a blast of wind at Neji who weaved around it, hitting his tenketsu leading to his hands, effectively ending Zaku's fighting.

"Give up." Neji ordered as he placed a kunai at Zaku's throat.

"Winner Neji." Gekko stated as Neji backed down, heading back to his teammates "The next match is Rukia versus Tsurugi." With that the Kiri kunochi and one of the members of Kabuto's team walked down, preparing to face off against each other.

"Safe to assume that she can use kenjutsu." Naruto noted looking at the katana at her side. It was entirely white, with a long ribbon wrapping around the sheathe. Rukia herself was short, standing at close to five foot three, with black hair that was kept short, with long banes.

"Yeah, but does she have any special tricks, like Ichigo did?" Kurenai asked form behind them.

"Safe to assume she does, and she probably has a secondary specialty, like Ichigo had taijutsu, so she might have genjutsu or ninjutsu." Naruto noted "Though my money is on ninjutsu."

"Why not genjutsu?" Kurenai asked.

"The look of her. She doesn't seem like the type to rely on genjutsu should her kenjutsu fail." he grinned "But I could be wrong. We will have to wait and see."

"I won't go easy on you." Tsurugi growled.

"Then I shall end this quickly as well." Rukia nodded as Gekko started the match. Tsurugi charged trying to punch Rukia, but all she did was slip under him and draw her sword.

"Some no mai, Tsukishiro(First Dance, White Moon)." she said, holding her sword blade down, then making a slashing motion causing a massive white circle appeared around the two. Taking off at an incredible speed, Rukia was outside the circle before Tsurugi had time to react, getting caught in a massive pillar of ice. Snapping her fingers the pillar shattered, killing Tsurugi.

"Man. She is brutal." Kiba growled as he had watched the short fight.

"Was that a kekkei genkai?" Sakura asked.

"She is possibly a Hyoton user like Haku." Kakashi mused.

"Winner Rukia." Gekko nodded "The next match is Karui versus Tenten."

With that the two kunochi leapt down to the battlefield where they stared at each other for a moment before the match was started, with Karui drawing her katana, trying to cut Tenten in two, but was stopped when the girl leapt over her, taking out a scroll and running some blood along it.

"Try this." Tenten grinned as a barrage of shuriken, kunai, sickles with chains and many other weapons came flying out, surprising the Kumo kunochi, earning her several wounds.

"WHY YOU BITCH!" she shouted as she charged at her, slipping around the weapons, as she swung her katana, grazing Tenten's side as she dodged.

"So you're fast as well. Ok, no more playing around." Tenten grinned as she took two medium sized scrolls off her back and leapt into the air opening them as she spun, with two chakra dragons appearing as she reached the peak of her jump "Sōshōryū(Twin Rising Dragons)!" Suddenly a barrage of steel weapons came flying out, stabbing Karui multiple times, and inflicting severe wounds on the Kumo nin.

"Winner Tenten." Gekko shouted once Karui collapsed. After the medic nin took her to the hospital and Tenten had gathered all of her weapons the next match was called.

"Temari versus Kin."

The next pair leapt down with most interested in what was going to happen between the Oto kunochi and the Suna kunochi.

"My money is on Temari." Naruto grinned.

"And you base this off of what?" Hinata asked "For all we know that Kin girl is very strong.

"Judge by the team. Temari is clearly the oldest of her team, and therefore probably trains the hardest to set the better example for her teammates. Where as Kin is a member of a team that seems to value the individual strength, and single tricks to win, an assassination team basically. With only a single trick, she won't last long in this battle."

"Begin." Gekko said as Kin threw a senbon with a bell attached that made Temari simply dodge as Kin threw two of them the next time, one with a bell, and one without, causing Temari to laugh.

"That's a pathetic trick. You think that just because I can hear a bell means I'll only dodge the one I hear?"

"Of course not." Kin grinned as Temari started to sway and look unwell "I expected my bells to stop you."

"Fat chance." Temari grinned as she opened her giant fan, swinging it and unleashing a massive gust of wind that sent Kin flying into the wall behind her, stunning her. Leaping up Temari landed on the girls back, placing her fan on her neck.

"It takes more then cheap tricks to beat a true shinobi." Tenten grinned as she was declared the winner.

"The next match is Ino versus Yoroi." Nodding the platinum blond and the remaining member of Kabuto's team walked down to fight. Ino knew that this guy had years on her, and that she couldn't win without her families technique. Making a quick plan she decided to do something that she had said she would never do. Charging forward she slipped underneath Yoroi as he tried to grab her, taking a kunai and slicing off her long ponytail, letting the hair fall to the ground. Channeling chakra into the hair she had it wrap around his legs as she unleashed her families technique.

"Shintenshin no jutsu(Mind Transfer Technique)." Ino grinned as the technique took hold and she was in Yoroi's body.

"I, Yoroi, forfeit the match." she made him say as Gekko nodded, knowing exactly what had happened. After exiting the mind Gekko proclaimed her the winner, which confused the man to no end as to how the blond had beaten him.

"The next match is Sakura versus Shino."

"Don't go easy on her Shino." Naruto grinned as the Aburame nodded, walking down the stairs before Sakura who looked nervous to have to fight Shino so early on, she had wanted to fight Ino again, knowing that she could have one.

"Begin."

With that Sakura charged at Shino, trying to deliver a devastating punch to the boy, who ducked under the punch, delivering one of his own, while letting loose a swarm of bugs onto Sakura that began eating her chakra as she tried to squish them.

"Give up Haruno-san. My bugs will not be destroyed so easily." Shino replied as he watched her actions.

"Ok, I surrender." she gasped as the bugs retreated off of her.

"Talk about an easy win. I only hope our matches are that easy." Naruto grinned.

"True, but whoever gets Gaara, will be in for a very difficult match if they want to survive." Hinata noted as Shino walked back up with Naruto and Hinata congratulating him on an easy win.

"Next match is Gaara versus Dosu."

"Oh, sucks to be him." Naruto winced as Dosu leapt down to face the red haired jinchuruki.

"Gaara going to win?" Kurenai asked.

"Without a doubt. The only questions are how long will it take and will Dosu survive." Naruto sighed as the two squared off.

"Time to die." Dosu grinned as he unleashed a blast of sound at the Suna nin who just stood there with an emotionless face "WHAT?"

"Die. Subaku Kyu (Sand Binding Coffin)." Gaara rasped as he had the sand wrap around Dosu " Subaku Sōsō(Sand Waterfall Funeral)." With those final words Dosu was imploded in a bloody fountain as Gaara turned and looked directly at Naruto.

"Why is he staring at the dope?" Sasuke asked.

"Because he sees me as the biggest challenger here." Naruto replied coldly "And he isn't too far off. Unfortunately he is stronger then I am right now."

"Really?" Hinata asked in surprise.

"Yeah. He's stronger then me for now, but if things go the way I hope they do then I can bridge that gap." Naruto nodded as Gaara was declared the winner.

"Next match is Sasuke versus Renji." Sasuke grins at this, since it is finally his turn to fight, and leaps down, ready to face the red haired swordsman walking down. Renji looked odd, with his long spiky red hair held in a top knot, he wears a white clothe head band along with the the black hakama and kimono like his other two teammates. At his side was a katana in a red sheathe that was emanating it's own chakra.

"That is no normal sword." Hinata noted as she looked at it "It's been forced into that sheath and wants to come out."

"A seal probably." Kurenai noted "If it's acting like that then it means that the sword draws chakra from that boy Renji, and it's true form is released when it is drawn."

"Well we are about to find out." Naruto grinned as the match started and Renji drew his blade.

"Howl Zabimaru(Snake Tail)!" he shouted as he drew his sword, revealing the unusual looking blade. It was a long and wide katana with blade extensions coming off of it, making it more of a shredding sword then anything else. Sasuke looked unimpressed at the sword, and while taking out a kunai knife charged at the red head who grinned as he swung the sword down and it extended off, lengthening to the point where it spread across the width of the arena.

"Man, these Kiri nin have some amazing weapons." Naruto whistled "Makes me wish I had my katana still, I wouldn't mind going toe to toe with them in kenjutsu."

"You might get the chance." Hinata grinned.

Down with the two fighters Sasuke dodged to the left, avoiding the slash, but Renji had already swung his sword to the left as well, forcing Sasuke to leap over the slash, which Renji promptly swung his sword up, forcing Sasuke to block as the sword wrapped around behind him and stabbed into his shoulder and rip down as it retracted to Renji's hilt.

"That's the power of Zabimaru." Renji grinned.

"That's nothing." Sasuke growled as he stood up, blood seeping down his arm "I've been through worse."

"Then keep at it." Renji laughed as he attacked again, this time Sasuke dodging under the first slash and second one, and then over the third, using the time while the blade was retracting to charge forward and attack, knocking the sword from his hands and over by the proctor.

"Now you are finished." Sasuke growled.

"Not quiet. I've always got ninjutsu." Renji laughed as he leapt back.

"WHAT?" Ichigo and Rukia shouted "RENJI you fool! Don't use it!"

"Sorry guys, but I am not going to lose to this little snot." Renji growled as he started the hand signs "Katon: Shakkahō(Red Fire Cannon)!" Renji shouted as a massive red fire ball appeared in front of him, about to shoot off. Sasuke looked at the attacked worried, his Sharingan already spinning as he prepared to try and send one of his own to stop that one. But before Sasuke had to take any drastic actions the fireball exploded on it's own, sending Renji flying.

"Fool." Rukia sighed.

"Looks like I win." Sasuke grinned as he imitated the jutsu "Katon: Shakkahō!" the red fire ball formed in front of Sasuke and he sent it at Renji, knocking him out and leaving him with several burns.

"Winner Sasuke." Gekko shouted as the medics came and took Renji away, while Kakashi took Sasuke away as well. "The next match is Shikamaru versus Hinata."

"Go get him Hinata-chan." Naruto smiled as Hinata turned red and nodded.

Once down on the floor Shikamaru sighed, saying how he didn't want to fight, especially a girl. Now every single girl in the arena glared at Shikamaru as Hinata just shook her head and once the word was given, charged the pineapple haired teen, promptly sealing his chakra to his hands.

"Now you are done." Hinata noted as she continued closing points "But to just make a point." Hinata continued doing this until she had closed all of his points and he was barely standing. Stopping she slapped him hard enough to send him sprawling.

"Winner Hinata." Gekko said as he watched the Nara just lay there "Shikamaru, please either get up or ask for medical assistance."

"I'll get up." he sighed as he slowly stood, heading up to the stands just as the final two contenders leapt down.

"HEY HINATA!" Kiba shouted.

"Yes?"

"If I win, you go on a date with me!" he shouted as most of the genin nine just sighed at this.

"Hey Kiba." Naruto said.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Keep away from my mate." he growled, letting his KI wash over the Inuzuka.

"She isn't your mate!" he roared as Gekko started the match. Kiba looked up for a moment to see Hinata had turned red at Naruto's comment and was having Kurenai holding her up so she wouldn't collapse. Naruto stared at the dog boy and his animal companion charging at him until they were close enough to make contact.

"Soul Authority." Naruto grinned as the electricity struck Kiba and the transform Akamaru, sending them both skidding back.

"What was that?" Kiba growled.

"Soul Authority, by mixing my chakras I create an electric charge that I can emit from anywhere on my body, but as my sensei said, the hands work best." Naruto grinned.

"Is he serious?" Tenten asked Neji who had been watching.

"He is. He was mixing a red chakra with his blue chakra when Kiba was attacking, creating an unbalance for a brief moment and then the electricity." Neji nodded.

"So why does he have multiple chakras?" Tenten asked.

"I"m not sure. But it is rather unusual." Neji nodded as he watched Naruto rolling his shoulders. Kiba was growling at Naruto for hiding such a powerful ability.

"Alright Akamaru, no more games." Kiba growled as he launched their tag team attack.

"Idiot." Naruto grinned as he drew his guns, channeling the red chakra into them "Have a nice dream." Firing his guns the explosions coming from the blasts rocked the entire room and many jonin were checking the ceiling, to make sure that it was still in one piece. Once the smoke cleared they saw that Kiba was charred and unconscious with Akamaru by his side, barely hit.

"Talk about marksmanship." Choji grinned "He didn't touch Akamaru at all, just got him with a little debris."

"That takes some real skill." Shikamaru nodded as he looked at the blond.

"Winner Naruto." Gekko nodded as the medics took Kiba away "Now all of you have won your match please come down." Nodding all of the others leapt down and waited for Gekko to explain the next part of the exams.

"All right. From here on in it is tournament style. This means *cough cough* is that you will be fighting against anyone in this line right here. So each of you *cough cough* will take a number from this box, and that will determine your placement in this tournament." Walking down the line each genin took a numbered slip of paper and then said what there number was, setting up the tournament line up.

"Ok. The line up is Ichigo versus Naruto, Sasuke versus Ino, Kankuro versus Shino, Temari versus Hinata, Omoi versus Gaara, Neji versus Rukia with the winner of that fight facing Tenten. You have one month *cough cough* to prepare for your match. I wish you all the best of luck." Gekko said as the genin nodded following their sensei's out.

"Hey blondie!" Ichigo called after Naruto.

"Yeah?" he turned.

"I noticed you had a sword before you entered the forest, what happened to it?" he asked.

"It broke."

"That's too bad. If you can get yourself another one. I want to test my abilities against a real swordsman." Ichigo grinned.

"What makes you think I am one?"

"The way you carry yourself, Uruhara-sensei taught me that any kenjutsuist always carries themselves in a certain manner, and you do." Ichigo nodded. Naruto smiled at this, knowing that he had a great opponent.

"I will see if I can get a suitable replacement." Naruto nodded "If not, well I'll honor you enough to not use my guns."

"Then it will be taijutsu only." Ichigo nodded as he turned to walk with his team mate "Looking forward to our match."

"Same." Naruto nodded.

"Making friends everywhere you go aren't you?" Kurenai smiled.

"Why be enemies when friends is so much more beneficial?" Naruto asked.

"Very true. That entire Kiri team are strong. I'm sure that Renji would have won if he hadn't tried to use ninjutsu, though I have never seen one blow up in someone's face before." Kurenai noted.

"Yeah. That kind of sucked for him, and then Ino getting the short stick with having to face Sasuke first round." Hinata noted.

"Well you three are going to need some massive training if you want to win your matches, especially since all three of you are in the same bracket before the finals, so meaning if you all do well you will be fighting each other." Kurenai pointed out.

"So train separately?" Shino asked.

"Exactly." Kurenai nodded "That way you are prepared for any of your opponent's."

"Well, no matter what happens we all did a great job and there should be no hard feelings between any of us." Naruto smiled.

"Right." Hinata nodded.

"That is true. We are team mates, we should wish for each other to do well, even in defeat." Shino replied. Kurenai smiled at her team as she led them through the forest and back to the village.

_AN* Yes I used Bleach characters for this. And I do have a reason for it. I intend to have them having their own arc later on in the fic, after some other important parts happen first. Second for the fights I just randomized the list of names, so no bitching about it. Lastly leave a review, or I will take even longer to update._


	14. AN

And I live! I apologize for being gone for so long to all of you readers. Due to my labtop's motherboard dieing on me I lost all of the stories that I had on their, which has caused me a lot of problems since I had several chapters written before the last ones that I posted, along with some new stories that I was planning on posting. At the moment however I am using the download option to regain what I had posted and then from there I will continue writing again. Expect updates from me rapidly for a little bit(in case you follow me as an author), and I will post on my profile the order I intend to update all the stories. Please note that some of them are going to be shut down, and classified as dead due to lack of inspiration, no where for it to go, or that I have lost so much from that fic that there is really no way to recover it in a timely fashion. So again, just head on over to my profile and you will see the order that I intend to start publishing again. Ah... It's good to be back.


	15. One Month

_AN: OK folks, I am back with the new chapter for this fic as well. Now first and foremost the reviews._

_Ex10: I hope you will enjoy it... next chapter._

_Amurru: While granted this did seem to move a lot faster, there are long gaps that I don't cover. They have been working together for quite some time and with constant exposure to the blonde and getting used to how he treats her there will be changes. I apologize if I didn't do a good enough job showing this._

_THEtoken: I usually don't do more then one chapter for the preliminaries, mainly because I don't have the patience to make it more then one chapter. I am sorry that Renji had to lose, but I do have him hanging around for a few more chapters plus a part later down the road._

_shunshinking: I will have him go world jumping again, and no I will not add any new worlds to this fic, mainly because I chose the worlds so he could rejoin them later on without any problems._

_Angels will bleed from pain: You will have to see who wins and who loses in the next chapter. As for the whole Gaara and Sasuke thing, odds are a no on that one, but I might change my mind. And he will go world jumping again as there is plenty left for him to learn from each of the worlds._

_SalemTheSpeakerOfTruth: That is your opinion. Keep in mind Naruto has had a lot of time to reflect on his life and his decisions, and thus the no interest in Sakura and the realization about Hinata._

_wolfsrainrules: You will find out about hat and clogs later on in the fic._

_WolfCoyote: Glad to hear you liked the idea._

_Myra the Dovahkiin: For the Harem option, I have considered it but I am not entirely sure that I should, I will likely leave it up to you the readers. Kid and Naruto are very good friends. Also note, at the moment only Naruto is capable of jumping dimensions so no Kenshin and Kid will not be there for the finals. As for the Kyubi matter, I will consider your idea._

_triggerhappy-the black hurrica: If you happen to catch any grammar mistakes please feel free to let me know what it is, only human here and don't always catch them._

_tarrangar: Naruto met Kenshin before the vow not to kill._

_shadow-red0: Sorry, but no more new worlds. I am keeping him contained to the ones he has been to already. As for the harem, if I do end up doing one, I will likely include Haku._

_rel00p: Kenshin because he senses something like a kindred spirit in him. They have a similar drive to protect those they care about. As for the Masters, it's more because the can see the potential in him and are willing to push him off the cliff to masterdom. While for the people of Soul Eater, Naruto does befriend them and Shinigami does sense something about Naruto to preludes to greatness, and even the great start off at the bottom at some point. Hope this explains it. Also, they do have technology to a degree, as they do use wireless communication during the rescue gaara arc after the timeskip, plus they do have movie projectors and other minor forms of technology. So while they should question the mp3 player, the headphones aren't that unusual to them._

_jtcr: that was because I was feeling uninspired and couldn't plan much for the short visits that he was fist going on. When he does return it will take a chapter or two, maybe even more for each world, it all depends on where I decide to drop him._

_Ok, now that the reviews have been replied to let's move on to some other matters. This is a rewrite of the original chapter that I had written, and personally I like this one more then the last one. Note, Naruto will not be going world jumping just yet, and when he does I plan on making it some very epic chapters, especially after he gets back again. Also, an apology for taking so long to post this chapter, my girlfriend has been demanding much of my attention and I do not have it in me to tempt fate and piss her off, so if you're mad about the wait blame her. Anyways enjoy and leave your reviews when finished._

One Month

Naruto made his way back to his house where he found Kushina polishing one of her katana's.

"Hey mom!" he called as he walked in.

"Naruto, how'd you do?" Kushina asked.

"Made it to the finals." Naruto grinned "I have one month before they start so I need some serious training."

"I see. Well I could be of some help, but first have something to eat first." Kushina remarked as there was a knock at the door "Wonder who that could be."

While Kushina walked over to the door Naruto started piling different things onto a plate when he heard Kushina let a cry of joy.

"Jiraya!" she laughed before there was a shout of pain from the man.

"What was that for?!" he shotued.

"That was for sneaking your smut into my house again." Kushina snapped "Naruto, there's someone I'd like you to meet!"

Naruto walked over to the front hall where he saw a man taller then him by a good foot standing there. Naruto gave him a cursory glance, taking in all the different details, from his gear to his general appearance and was underwhelmed.

"This is the guy that trained dad." Naruto stated "I was expecting something more."

"More what?" Jiraya asked "Wherever I go, women fawn and men envy, I am"

"A blow heart." Naruto stated with a grin as Jiraya glared at him.

"Definitely your kid." Jiraya sighed as he looked at Kushina "No one else's would give me such disrespect."

"When you make a living writing smut and peeping on girls, there isn't much respect to be had." Kushina grinned as she motioned for him to come into the kitchen.

"So I heard from Sarutobi-sensei that Naruto has made it to the finals of the chunin exams." Jiraya remarked.

"Yeah. But I've got some tough competition." Naruto replied.

"So I heard, a swordsman from Kirigakure could be a challenge. But don't you have your own sword?"

"Had. Some crazy Kusa nin had a stronger sword hiding down her throat and destroyed mine." Naruto muttered.

"Sword down her throat..." Jiraya muttered "Did she also attack Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Yep. Bit his neck and left some weird mark." Naruto nodded.

"I was worried about that. That wasn't a woman, that was Orochimaru of the Sannin, my old teammate." Jiraya growled "This could be trouble brewing."

"Whoa, I fought a Sannin and lived?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Apparently." Jiraya chuckled "But you got lucky that he was distracted and not interested in fighting you all out."

"So Orochimaru is back." Kushina muttered "Does Oji know?"

"I'm sure that Kakashi informed him. At the moment Sasuke is being placed under surveillance until we're sure that the mark isn't going to be a problem." Jiraya explained "But back to the original topic, if you want Naruto, I can train you for the finals."

"Really?" Naruto asked.

"Yep. I should be able to help you crush anyone that you get put up against." Jiraya nodded "So first we need to get you a new sword. How about Glory of Ten Powers? It's a single sided blade that was forged across the sea, and is said to have mystical powers."

"No... It needs to be a katana, that's what I know how to use and what my style of kenjutsu uses." Naruto shook his head.

"Ok... How about Masamune or Muramasa? They are two swords made by rival sword smiths, one is meant for bloodshed while the other for peace." Jiraya suggested.

"That's kind of a problem, since my sword is used for both." Naruto stated.

"Alright, there is another one called Kotetsu. It's a sword made hundreds of years ago that is next to indestructible due to the man who forged it had a Koton(Steel Release) kekkei genkai. It's been kept by a monk who lives on the edge of Hi no Kuni." Jiraya explained "It is said to be a peerless weapon, compared to Kusanagi."

"Really..." Naruto mused as he finally nodded "Let's go get it."

"Alright, but to warn you. The monk won't just give us this sword, you will have to complete some form of trial." Jiraya warned.

"Fine, but I can't go into the next matches without a blade." Naruto replied as he went upstairs to back some gear.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Kushina asked.

"It's the best we got." Jiraya replied "He is already ahead of the curve, so I'm not too worried about him going without it, but he does need a new sword and this is one of the best ways to get one."

Just then Naruto ran back down the stairs.

"Alright, let's get going Ero-Sennin!" he shouted as he walked out the front door.

"Damn gaki." Jiraya muttered.

"Oh and Jiraya." Kushina called.

"Yes?"

"If you take my son on a research trip with you I will personally rip your head off and shove it up your ass." Kushina smiled as Jiraya paled and nodded. It didn't take long for them to leave and make their way towards the temple where the monk was. As they leapt through the trees Naruto thought about the various possibilities that he might face, knowing that Ichigo had his kenjutsu and his taijutsu on his side, while his next opponent would likely be Sasuke, so ninjutsu and taijutsu would be the main parts. After that it was a gamble since there were so many possibilities, but he assumed that it would likely be Shino or Hinata. It took most of the afternoon for them to reach the temple that was nestled in between the peaks of a mountain. As they climbed they passed several statues and Naruto could feel his connection with Kyubi weakening.

"Hey Jiraya, I can't feel Kyubi." Naruto stated, slightly worried.

"It's the statues. It's meant to ward off demons from this place. So jinchuruki like yourself will have to rely on their own skills instead of their demons." Jiraya explained as they finally reached the temple "Ok, head on inside and you'll find the monk. He'll tell you what he wants you to do."

"You're not coming with?" Naruto asked.

"No. This is your trial, I'm just here to make sure that you get home ok. No don't take too long, I still have other things that I want to teach you." Jiraya replied. Nodding Naruto walked down the path and soon entered the temple to see a monk seated in front of a statue, meditating.

"Excuse me." Naruto stated as he approached the monk. The man turned and looked at the blonde, taking him in before speaking.

"Another pilgrim seeks Kotetsu?"

"I do." Naruto nodded.

"Very well. The trial is to simply get to the blade. But be warned, many have tried before you and have never been seen again."

"What happened to them?" Naruto asked.

"They fell to temptation. Ward your heart and emotions, only by doing that will you manage to succeed where countless others have failed." The monk explained as he rose and led Naruto to a simple door.

"Thank you." Naruto nodded as he walked in, finding himself in a long dark hall. Shrugging the blonde began to walk, heading further and further in, but seeming to go nowhere. As he walked he stopped, when he heard angry voices coming from his right. Turning his gaze he saw a scene from his past, with angry villagers chasing him as he ran. Suddenly in front of the image a dark blade appeared with miasma pouring from the blade.

_"Take me, and strike fear into those that have wronged you. Wield me and all will bow before you. Use me, and you shall be the greatest shinobi ever known." the blade promised._

Naruto frowned at this very tempting thought. In the end he shook his head and finally spoke "No. My past may have been hard, but it is still mine. I wouldn't change a thing about it."

As the words left his mouth there was a flash and the scene disappeared, with a blank wall no facing him. Turning Naruto continued walking, until he again felt like he wasn't getting anywhere. This time the noise came from the left. His gaze turned and he saw Hinata standing there, smiling at him and motioning for him to follow. Naruto could literally feel his heart lurch as he wanted to follow Hinata to where ever it was that she wanted to go. Just before he could take that step he stopped himself, remembering what the monk had said about guarding his heart. Blinking he realized that this wasn't real and turned away, and started walking again. There as another flash and Naruto was now standing in front of another door. He opened it and saw Kotetsu sitting on a pedestal right in front of him.

"Too easy." Naruto muttered as he walked up to the blade and carefully picked up the katana. As he did his shadow leapt up off the ground, drawing a shadow version of the sword that he had, swinging the blade at him. Naruto reacted quickly and rolled away, drawing his own blade and blocking the second swing. The two exchanged blows, pushing each other with all that they had but the match was too even. It took some time until Naruto realized that he was letting his heart control his actions again and he started calming down his blood lust, his aggression and rage, and finally he was in a perfectly calm state and realized that the shadow could have exploited several openings that Naruto had unknowingly left and soon Naruto realized that this shadow wasn't really trying to win. Frowning he decided to take a gamble and as he swung the blade he let go of it and watched as the shadow disappeared for a long enough moment for Naruto to step through and catch the blade just as it started to reform, slashing the shadow in two, from head to toe.

As the shadow disappeared there was another flash and Naruto found that there was another door waiting for him to enter. Opening it he saw that he was back in the main hall that he had entered when he had first come into the temple.

"And you survived young pilgrim." the monk noted.

"I'm too stubborn to die, but I have to admit that it was a close thing." Naruto smirked "Your advice really did help me."

"I am glad that you heeded it enough to best your shadow." the monk nodded "Now then, here is your reward." The monk then reached up to the idol and took down a simple wooden sheathe that housed the blade.

"So this is Kotetsu." Naruto said drawing the blade.

"Indeed. This blade shall serve you well." The monk nodded.

"Thank you." Naruto nodded as he turned and walked away, making his way out to Jiraya who was seated on a rock, looking through some notes.

"Good, you're back." Jiraya nodded "Which leaves us plenty of time to get to training you."

"Sounds good. How long was I in there?" Naruto asked.

"A few hours." Jiraya shrugged. With that the pair started making their way back to the village where it was late enough that Jiraya agreed that it would be best to wait until tomorrow. The next morning Jiraya took Naruto out into the backyard went straight to the hot spring.

"Now first I'm going to teach you the water walking technique." Jiraya stated as he started walking on top of the surface of the water, proving the point "This is a more advanced version of the tree climbing exercise that Kurenai taught you. For this, instead of a steady flow of chakra it needs to adjust to the surface of the water. Once you've mastered that we will move on to the next part where we will start sparring on top of the water, this is the real mark of mastery since you need to manage to separate things at once."

Nodding Naruto started pumping the chakra into his feet and stepped onto the steaming water and sank down to his knees, cringing from the sudden heat.

"Not a bad start, but you're not there yet, get out and try again." Jiraya chided as Naruto complied. His next attempt wasn't any better, nor the one following that. The pair worked on this for hours but finally Naruto managed to walk on top of the water with out sinking.

"Finally." Naruto groaned.

"Now that you've got that down we're going to start multi-tasking." Jiraya replied.

"How?" Naruto asked.

"Well you know the Kage Bushin jutsu right?"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded.

"Well there's a little known secret about it, it's the reason why it's a B rank kinjutsu." Jiraya explained as he had Naruto make a clone and then he made one as well. The two clones walked far enough away where they wouldn't been seen and then played rock paper scissors.

"I beat you." Naruto said in amazement.

"That's the secret. Kage Bushin are a literal copy of you, so they can give you the memories that they gained. But you have to be careful. The longer they are alive, the more information hits you and if you release a ton of them after they've been around for a long time you could fry your brain and be a vegetable for the rest of your life." Jiraya warned "A few for a long period of time, or a lot over a short are fine."

"Got it." Naruto nodded seriously.

"Now then, here is what we are going to do. You already have quite excellent taijutsu skills, and kenjutsu skills, plus a variety of other skills that I'm sure you haven't shown yet. What we are going to be doing is this. I'm going to let you sign the Toad Summoning scroll, just like you dad before you. Once you sign it you can summon toads to help you in combat."

"What's so great about toads?" Naruto asked confused.

"Toads are amazing!" Jiraya shouted "They have a natural affinity for water techniques and some are even capable of breating fire or spouting out an oil to make your fire techniques even more lethal. Some are capable emitting deadly poisons against your enemies and others are exceptionally skilled with weapons. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so they are useful in a variety of situations and there are some that you can summon parts of them to help trap your foes."

Naruto blinked at all of this and had to concede the point to Jiraya.

"Alright Ero-Sennin, let's sign that scroll." Naruto nodded. Jiraya smiled as he set down the scroll, opening it and explaining to Naruto that he had to sign his name in his own blood and leave his fingerprints at the bottom. Once done Jiraya showed him the signs needed to summon them.

"Now make sure you use as much chakra as you possibly can, even the Kyubi's if you have to." Jiraya warned.

"Got it." Naruto nodded as he started the hand signs and poured all of his chakra into it, even drawing on the Kyubi's "Kuchiyosi no Jutsu!"

In a massive poof of smoke Naruto was standing on top of a massive red toad, wearing a coat, smoking a pipe and carrying a sword in one of his hands.

"EH? Jiraya, why'd you summon me!" he shouted.

"S... Sorry Gamabunta, but I didn't summon you." Jiraya explained as he was now worried about the blonde.

"EH?!" Gamabunta grunted as he noted that there was someone on top of his head "WHO'RE YOU YA LITTLE SHIT?!"

"Sorry about summoning you like this." Naruto apologized as he leapt down to face the toad "I'm Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, and if I pulled you away from any important business then I apologize."

"Heh. This gaki has some respect." he nodded "You a new summoner?"

"I am. This was my first time using the jutsu, and I didn't expect to be summoning the leader of the toads from the looks of it." Naruto explained.

"I suppose I can let you off with a warning, and make you my subordinate." Gamabunta mused as he took the blonde in "You said Namikaze. You're Minato kid?"

"I am." Naruto nodded.

"Hm. Not a subordinate then. Minato was a good friend to the toads, so I'll make you my partner. If you're ever in a pinch you let me know and I'll lend you a hand, long as you treat us with respect." Gamabunta stated "But if you start summoning us like Jiraya does, I will personally flatten you."

"Got it." Naruto nodded with a smile "I'll try not to summon you again, but I might summon some of your colleagues since I am still learning and would like to know the amount of chakra needed for the different toads."

"Hm... Very well. But this is the only time I will allow it, you have until sunset to get it down." Gamabunta snapped as he disappeared.

"Gaki, you are incredibly lucky." Jiraya sighed in relief "Gamabunta is one toad you do not want to cross."

"I bet. What'd you do to piss him off?" Naruto asked.

"I accidentally summoned his son in a woman's hotspring." Jiraya sighed "It was an accident."

"You are a horrible human being." Naruto sighed "Anyways what else are we going to be working on."

"For today, Summoning only. Get it down right, no exceptions since we don't know when you might need to use it in an emergency. Tomorrow we'll cover anything else you might have to learn." Jiraya replied.

"Got it." Naruto nodded as he started practicing the day away. By the time the sun had set Naruto had managed to summon a variety of toads, noting the different chakra levels he would need for each one and making sure to get each toads name when they appeared and treating them with respect.

"You got a knack for this gaki." Jiraya nodded as the called it a day "Now let's eat and then tomorrow we will work on some more areas for you."

Day three started with Jiraya having Naruto do tons of warm up exercises, from hundreds of push ups, sit ups, pull ups, running several hundred laps around the village until he deemed him ready to get started on the next portion of the training.

"Now create as many clones as you can." Jiraya instructed while Naruto smirked. Soon Jiraya was surrounded by hundreds of Naruto's.

"Right. Now I have several exercises for you to split between them. First group I want working on fighting on water, I'll make a Kage Bushin to handle that, and they go one at a time so you can learn from their mistakes. The second group is going to be working on some new jutsu's that I'm going to be teaching you. I'll mainly focus on wind and fire techniques, thought I might throw in another element here and there, that way you have more of a variety, though you are going to have a harder time learning how to use earth and water due to your wind and fire chakra." Jiraya explained "The third group is going to be reading several different scrolls, containing information on how to fight against various opponents, this is the group that I want the least amount of clones on since you learn to much at one time could destroy your brain. Finally you will be sparring against me on the ground here, that way I can see where you stand in various areas."

"Got it." Naruto nodded as he motioned for the clones to divide up, with a quarter of them heading off to the side to start reading "You guys will dispel after every scroll you finish that way I don't get overloaded, only one of you reading at a time." he paused as he looked at the next group "You guys head for the spring and wait for Jiraya's Bushin, and remember, one at a time." he paused again to look at the last group "You guys make sure that you are out of the way of everyone else as you work on these jutsu. Make sure you learn them perfectly."

"Yes Boss!" all the clones shouted as they went off leaving Jiraya standing there with the original blonde.

"I got to admit you have a ton of charka." Jiray chuckled as he created three Kage Bushin and had each one go with a different group "Now then, let's see how you stack up."

Naruto simply chuckled as they started to spar.

* * *

"Again." Hiashi stated as Hianta attempted to use the standard Jyuken. She had progressed but she wasn't doing as well as Neji was. Things were not looking good for his eldest daughter and if she didn't want to get the caged bird seal put on her she had to get past her first opponent in the finals, or the elders would place it on her, despite his own wishes. He watched as Hinata attempted the technique again and again she couldn't succeed.

"Enough Hianta. Take a break and we will continue again in twenty minutes." Hiashi stated.

"Yes Tou-sama." Hinata nodded as she walked off.

"Hiashi-sama." a branch member said as he appeared at the door "You have a visitor."

"Oh?" Hiashi asked as the branch member moved out of the way and Kushina walked in.

"Hiashi, good to see you again." Kushina smiled as she sat down across from the head of the Hyuga clan.

"Kushina. It has been some time." Hiashi smiled "I had heard that you had returned to the village, I am happy that this is so."

"Thanks." Kushina nodded "So how's Hinata's training going?"

"Not all that well. She fails to grasp the Jyuken style that we use." Hiashi sighed.

"Didn't Honoka have that same problem?" Kushina asked. Hiashi's eyes lit up as Kushina said this and he nodded remembering his late wife and what she had done to make sure that she would be able to use the Jyuken.

"Yes. Hinata is a lot like her." Hiashi nodded "Thank you Kushina, but I do not believe that you came here to help me with my dilema."

"Smart as ever." Kushina grinned "I figured that now would be a good time to talk about Naruto and Hinata dating since they are almost at the point already."

Hiashi frowned now, thinking about this. Hinata was infatuated by the boy and Naruto was a great influence on Hianta. Since they had been placed on the same team she had grown in confidence and had been able to hold her own in the spars that the elders had been having her and Hanabi have. However he was still a father and he did have his doubts about the entire matter. In the end though he realized that he might be being too over protective.

"I see no harm in them dating." Hiashi stated.

"Excellent!" Kushina laughed "I can hear the wedding bells already."

"Wedding bells?" Hinata asked as she walked back in "What are you talking about Kushina-san?'

"Oh nothing Hinata-chan." Kushina smiled "Thanks for your time Hiashi."

"Of course." he nodded as Kushina left "Hinata, I have given some thought to your predicament with the house style of Jyuken and thanks to Kushina, I have an idea of how to remedy the situation."

"How Tou-sama?" Hinata asked. Hiashi simply motioned for her to follow him, leading her to a storage room and taking out several scrolls and handing them to her.

"These belonged to your mother. She had a similar problem with the Jyuken that you did. She devised her own version of it, managing to prove it's worth by defeating one of the best Hyuga shinobi in one on one combat. Study these scrolls and learn the techniques inside of them and you will do well." Hiashi explained "I will be unable to help you as I could never understand the techniques myself."

"I understand Tou-sama. I will do my very best." Hinata nodded as she walked off to read the scrolls and learn everything that her mother had created.

* * *

Shino was busy communing with the new hive that his father had given him for making it to the finals, learning about them and making sure that they worked well with the hive that he already had within him. As he communed with them he read over the techniques that his father wanted him to learn, making sure that he understood each and every one before the month was up.

_"I will master these techniques." he stated mentally, feeling the hives buzz their agreement._

* * *

"Ichigo, you need to train!" Rukia shouted at her teammate who was laying back on the roof.

"I will." Ichigo replied "And I am right now."

"No you're just laying there!" Rukia snapped.

"And working on my chakra flow." Ichigo replied as Rukia frowned.

"Really now? It looks like you're being lazy, especially since you have such a powerful opponent in the next round." Rukia remarked.

"I know he's strong." Ichigo stated "And so is yours."

"That's why I'm training!" Rukia retorted "Baka!"

"Just leave him Rukia." Renji sighed "If he doesn't want to train while our senseis are away then that is his problem."

"Fine." Rukia sighed as she went back to her ninjutsu practice.

* * *

"Come on Ino, you can do better than that." Inoichi stated as he urged his daughter to work harder.

"I don't know why you want me to work so hard. Sasuke is going to destroy me in the next round." Ino complained.

"Ino, just because you're up against Sasuke in the first round doesn't mean you're going to lose." Inoichi chided "Look at Naruto, he was dead last when he graduated and now he is considered the most likely to win every round."

"Really?" Ino asked in surprise.

"Yep. He is the odds on favorite, right next to that Gaara no Subaku kid." Inoichi replied "Now just imagine if you managed to do just as well, and if you train hard enough then you just might."

Ino frowned at this and seeing the wisdom in her fathers words she started working harder, wanting to at least try to get past Sasuke in the first round.

* * *

"Finished!" Kankuro chuckled as he finally stopped upgrading Crow.

"Good." Temari replied "We only have a few days left before the invasion."

"Yeah. You really think that this is a good idea?" Kankuro asked "I mean Konaha is a strong village, and even with the help of those Oto nin, there is a pretty good chance that we might all be killed."

"It's Tou-sama's decision." Temari sighed "I don't like the odds of this, but with Gaara helping us we might just actually pull this off."

"Speaking of Gaara, where is he?" Kankuro asked.

"He's been sitting on the roof every night since we left the Forest of Death. I think he's anxious for the next rounds to start." Temari eplied.

"More like blood thirsty." Kankuro muttered.

Gaara sat on the rooftop, staring at the full moon while the sand in his gourd shifted in anticipation.

"Soon, soon you will have all the blood you want." Gaara muttered as he could hear the mad whispering of his demon.

* * *

Neji smirked as he finally completed the technique that he had been working on. He had been observing several members of the main branch using this technique in practice and now after much work with the help of Gai and Lee he mastered it.

"This is most excellent my youthful student!" Gai exclaimed "With this you are assured to do quite well in the next round!"

"Hai." Neji nodded with pride as stepped out of the circle that he had made "It is my fate to succeed in this examination."

Meanwhile Tenten had finally finished practicing with the new weapon that her father had recommended to her in case she wound up fighting her teammate or against the Kirigakure girl.

"So it's called a Meteor Hammer?" Tenten asked as she stowed the weapon away.

"That's right. It's a very powerful weapon, especially agaisnt a swordsman due to the unpredictable nature of the weapon." her father nodded "Plus this should catch your teammate off guard if you have to fight him instead."

"Sounds good." Tenten smiled as she went about some more practice.

* * *

Kakashi eye smiled at Sasuke who had just finally found the limit to the Chidori technique.

"Looks like you can manage two of them at the moment." Kakashi noted "Any more then that and you'll start drawing on the curse seal and then your chakra levels will start to decline."

Sasuke nodded at this, while his thoughts were on beating Naruto who he had set as his milestone before facing and destroying Itachi.

* * *

Omoi nodded as he finished practicing the last of the jutsu that he was going to need if was going to stand a chance against Gaara no Subaku in the first round.

"All done?" Samui asked as she saw him leaving the practice field.

"I am." Omoi nodded "I should be able to handle Gaara no Subaku, unless he manages to have developed some new long range technique, then I might end up dead or."

"Enough." Samui sighed as she patted her teammates shoulder "No sense in worrying about the match now. Just do what you can and make sure not to get caught by his sand." Omoi only nodded at this "Now get some rest, the matches are in two days."

"Right." Omoi nodded with a smile as he walked ahead to the hotel they were staying at.

* * *

"All right Naruto. We've done all that we can do." Jiraya smiled as they finished their training for the day "Tomorrow are the matches, and you know that you've got to be at your best."

"I will be." Naruto nodded "I've already picked up lots of new tricks for this."

"That's my gaki." Jiraya laughed "I'll be nearby just in case things get dicey and Orochimaru tries something. The whole village is on high alert since he decided to mark Sasuke."

"Still creepy." Naruto shuddered.

"No arguements here." Jiraya nodded "Now go eat and then get to bed. You've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow."

"Right Ero-Sennin." Naruto grinned as Jiraya glared at the blonde running into the house. Shaking his head he hoped that the blonde would do well enough in the matches tomorrow and that his sinking suspicion that village was in danger was wrong.

_AN: And done. As I said I did prefer this rewrite that I did, shows more of how each of the contenders is faring and sets the stage for the finals. Now I have received a few reviews about making this a harem fic, and while that is currently an option I will leave this up to you the readers if this is going to happen. I will place a poll on my page for you all to vote on if this becomes a harem fic. And if it does I don't want to hear any bitching from any of you about it like I did with Yugure! I'm leaving this up to all of you so if the poll says harem when it closes that is where we are going. Now finally I will try to update regularly but with the outlook of my life at the moment I don't know how long that will last. Now again leave your reviews and place your votes, you will have quite some time before the poll closes so no worries._


	16. Chunin Exam Finals pt 1

_Ok, and here is the next chapter for Kitsune Storm. I personally like the rewrite that I did on this one since I felt that the previous version was lacking something. Now before I get to the reviews let me apologize for having this so short and making it a part one and two. I originally kept it as one whole chapter in the original version, but I felt that it just seemed off as one entire chapter and decided to split it in two. If you don't like it then I apologize but I do not regret my decision._

_Chewie Cookies: Thank you for that, I have made the changes for Gaara and Jiraiya. And as for the Hinata thing, that was my fingers moving too fast on the keyboard, sorry for that and thank you for catching it._

_Sad Swordsman: First thank you for such an detailed review. It is rare that I get one so long with so much detail to what I need to work on. I do agree that I was far to hasty with the opening chapters and I do regert that but I always intended for him to be going back to those worlds and having a part to play there, taking a few chapters each. As for the sword and gun thing, while I agree that is the reason that most of the people give Naruto a sword, I gave it to him to give him a wider skill set. Each world had it's point to it. Kenshin taught Naruto speed and kenjutsu that plays it's part throughout the fic. His time learning Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu taught Naruto to think more, and how to best deal with opponents. As for the Hinata thing, Naruto has been gone for three years to him, even if it was only a few seconds there. He has had time to reflect on his life at times and come to understand some different truths, plus Kyubi wasn't exactly sitting there quietly the entire time. Hinata has had a crush on Naruto for a long time, but Naruto just didn't realize it. Given the time to think and reflect on his life he has come to realize that Sakura isn't good for him while Hinata just needs help coming out of her shell more to be a good match. Now I do admit that this fic does need some fine tuning and that maybe one day I might decide to rewrite it, but not in the foreseeable future. Also, Naruto is strictly with Hinata, he doesn't have feelings for anyone else. The singing thing was just something I thought would be amusing, but if you don't care for it then that is fine. I appreciate your criticism and thank you for taking the time to tell me this. I will keep this in mind and try to do better work in the future._

_There now that we're done with that, enjoy the newest chapter and I will get to work on the next one as soon as I am able._

Chunin Exam Finals Pt.1

Naruto was up early as he finished doing some last minute prep work before heading out and meeting up with his team as they walked towards the arena.

"You guys ready?" Naruto asked.

"As ready as we can be." Hinata nodded "I know that I worked really hard this past month."

"The same." Shino agreed.

"Tell me about it." Naruto sighed "Ero-Sennin worked me to the bone."

Hinata started to giggle at this while Shino looked at Narut confused.

"Who is this person?" he asked.

"Jiraya of the Sannin." Naruto replied "He was my dad's teacher, and you know that orange book Kakashi-sensei is always reading?" both Hinata and Shino nodded at this "Well he wrote them and they are complete smut."

Now Hinata turned red as Shino nodded his understading of why he had given the man his title. It wasn't long before they reached the arena and saw Kurenai waiting for them.

"Good luck you three." She smiled as they approached.

"Thanks Kurenai-sensei." Hinata nodded.

"But we don't need luck. We've got talent." Naruto chuckled.

"Don't get arrogant now Naruto." Kurenai laughed "But I'll make sure that Anko keeps her bet that you will make it to the finals Naruto."

"Thanks Kurenai-sensei." Naruto laughed as well as the three of them entered and took the different hallways to get to the participant area where they saw everyone present except Sasuke.

"Where's Sasuke?" Shino asked.

"He hasn't arrived yet." Neji answered calmly.

"Kind of hope he doesn't. I'd rather not fight him." Ino remarked.

"Then you're fighting me or blondie." Ichigo chuckled.

"Also rather not have that happen." Ino sighed.

"So what happens if he doesn't show?" Tenten asked.

"He gets disqualified." Rukia answered "Unless your village decides to play favorites and they might push back his match to give him time to arrive."

"So no matter what you're facing him." Naruto sighed as he took a seat and decided to wait until the start time.

Up in the Kage booth Sarutobi sat and observed the crowd, knowing that there were several ANBU agents in place in case Orochimaru decided to pull something. Looking up he saw that the Kazekage was approaching with his two bodyguards.

"Kazekage-sama." Sarutobi smiled as the robed man approached.

"Hokage-sama." he nodded as he took his seat "It is good to see you again."

"The same to you. And it appears our other Kages are arriving." Sarutobi nodded as two more groups approached. One was a woman with three bodyguards with her, while the other was a dark skinned man with two bodyguards.

"Ah Hokage-sama, Kazekage-sama." the woman smiled "I'm Mei Terumi, the Godaime Mizukage. These are my bodyguards, Ao, Chojuro, and Zabuza."

All three of the Kages blinked at this and looked at the former nuke nin who only nodded to them.

"I thought that he was a wanted nin." the Kazekage remarked.

"Not anymore. Now that the Yondaime has been removed Zabuza has been allowed to return and reinstated into active duty as one of our Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shu(Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist)." Mei explained as the three nodded and took their positions behind the Mizukage.

"And Raikage-sama, it is a pleasure to see you again." Sarutobi nodded.

"Same." he nodded "The name is A, and these are my bodyguards Darui and C."

"A pleasure Raikage-sama." the Kazikage nodded to them as they took their seats.

"We have quite the selection this year." Sarutobi noted "I observed all of them during the preliminaries and must say that it will be a tough decision on how would be the best candidates."

"I can believe it." A nodded "I read the report that my team sent back to my brother, their sensei. Lots of talent, including that Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze brat. I remember his father pretty well, and if he's anything like him then this could prove to be an interestingg few hours."

"Is that so?" Mei asked "Zabuza-san here has spoken highly of him as well."

"After getting my ass kicked by him I think I'm allowed to." Zabuza laughed "He's up first right?"

"That he is. Let me give the speech and I will let their actions determine who is the better." Sarutobi smiled as he stood and began his speech about the importance of the exam and the honor that these genin should feel in having done so well.

"All right. Our first match is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze versus Ichigo Kurosaki." Gekko stated as the two contestants leapt down, facing each other with smiles on their faces as they shook each others hand before taking several steps away and faced each other.

"Keep an eye on them." Zabuza said to Chojuro "You've seen Ichigo in action and sparred against him several times, but that Naruto has some great talent as well. Could easily be a member of our little group."

"I see you got a new sword." Ichigo nodded.

"Didn't want to disappoint." Naruto replied as he slipped into his stance "I don't intend to hold back, so don't hold back if you want to live."

"Begin!" Gekko shouted and the two struck. Naruto flashed forward, drawing his blade and to the spectators it looked like he disappeared and reappeared behind Ichigo, his sword drawn. Ichigo simply smirked as his blade was already out of the wrappings and had blocked the rapid slashes that Naruto had made.

"Not going to be so easy, I can see your blade's movement." Ichigo stated as he looked at Naruto "So don't go easy either."

Naruto smirked as he struck again, this time unleashing a barrage of slashes that Ichigo worked to block and found that Naruto was a faster swordsman but Naruto wasn't as strong as him and Ichigo used that to his advantage, using powerful blows to disrupt the quick combos that Naruto favored, but Naruto was fast enough to recover from the disruptions. The pair went back and forth for several minutes before Naruto moved back and smirked as he swung his blade at the ground.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Doryusen!" Naruto roared as he sent the chuncks of earth at Ichigo who only smirked in struck in reply.

"Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo shouted as he struck in reply, sending the mass amount of charka towards the blonde who blinked and rolled to the side to avoid the worst of the strike "Hope you aren't finished yet! Getsuga Tensho!"

Naruto blinked in surprise who leapt away again and was soon on the run as Ichigo sent blast after blast towards the blonde who was soon realizing that he was going to have to think of something clever to close the gap. Skidding to a stop Naruto saw another wave heading right for him and decided that if he was going to bust through, now was the chance. Charging forward Naruto began channeling chakra into his blade for something that Jiraya had recommended he do in a situation like this.

"Kaze no katta(Wind Cutter)." Naruto grinned as he slashed and let his wind enhanced strike come off of the blade and slash through Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho letting Naruto get in close where he struck again "Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Ryukansen Arashi(Dragon Coiling Flash Storm)!" Somersaulting Naruto struck, smashing into Ichigo before he could raise Zangetsu to block it and delivered a slash across his shoulder to his side, leaving him bleeding on the ground.

"Winner Naruto!" Gekko shouted, knowing that if Ichigo tried anything else he would likely die.

"Good match." Naruto smiled as he helped put pressure on the wound to stop the flow of blood while the medics ran over.

"Yeah, but you are a way better swordsman. I see why Zabuza respects you so much." Ichigo coughed.

"We can talk more later." Naruto replied as the medics took him away and Naruto walked off of the arena floor.

"Told you." Zabuza chuckled "That blonde could have killed him if he had aimed his attack a little more to the left."

"No kidding." Chojuro whistled "I've never even heard of a style like that."

"His mentor is very secretive." Sarutobi replied "It appears taht the next match is Sasuke Uchiha versus Ino Yamanaka."

"Hm. This should be interesting." A nodded.

Just then in a swirl of leaves Sasuke arrived with Kakashi, the boy looking a little tired but still ready to go.

"I hope we aren't late." Kakashi grinned.

"Just in time actually." Gekko nodded as he then announced that the next match was about to begin. Ino walked down and faced Sasuke, knowing that this might end badly but that she wouldn't give up easily. The match started and Ino threw down a smoke bomb and quickly began moving to try and get a chance to launch her technique against Sasuke and get him to forfeit. Sasuke smirked as he realized that one of his fangirls was actually going to fight against him and he started moving away from the smoke and used his Sharingan to try and predict where she would be. It took him a few moments but he picked up on the movement and smirked as he flashed through the hand signs.

"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu(Pheonix Sage Fire Technique)!" Sasuke shouted as he sent the barrage of fire balls towards Ino's general direction and smirked as he saw the girl start leaping around to avoid the fire and moved towards him where he charged in, intending on taking her out using her weakenss, taijutsu. As he closed in he unleashed a barrage of attacks and found to his surprise that Ino was able to dodge most of his techniques and while she couldn't counterattack, Sasuke couldn't get a good hit in. Twisting to the side of one of Sasuke's attacks Ino tried to deliver a kick to his side but the Uchiha only grinned as he grabbed her leg and then threw her while flashing through more handsigns.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" Sasuke roared as he sent the massive ball of fire towards Ino who saw it and quickly substituted with a log to avoid the incinerating blast. Hiding in the small patch of forest Ino tried to come up with a plan but realized that unless Sasuke held still for a time she wasn't going to be able to beat him in a straight fight. In the end she decided to take a gamble and started her family's technique and launched her mind towards Sasuke who smirked and leapt away and Ino screamed mentally as she realized that she had been tricked. Sasuke calmly walked over to where she was, picked her up and threw her into the wall. Taking out a kunai he prepareed to throw it at the girl when Gekko grabbed his arm.

"Sasuke is the winner." he declared as he glared at the boy for what he was about to do. It didn't take long for the medics to take Ino to the medical area while Sasuke walked off.

_"Yes, perfectly ruthless. He is growing nicely..." Orochimaru chuckled at how the match had played out._

"That was quite dishonorable." C noted calmly "He had her beat, there was no need to take that any further."

"Agreed." A nodded "That Uchiha is in need of an attitude adjustment, or to be taken down a few pegs."

"Well that should happen during his next match." Zabuza chuckled "Naruto will wipe the floor with him."

"The next match is Shino Aburame versus Kankuro!" Gekko shouted.

"I forfeit!" Kankuro shouted down to the proctor. Gekko frowned and then called for Hinata and Temari while Orochimaru smirked that the genin had remembered the plan. The two girls faced each other and while Temari was certain that she could fight well enough to make it look convincing and still be ready for the invasion she wasn't sure if she would win against Hinata. The girl had changed during the month, nothing physical but she seemed stronger and more determined then before and that was cause of worry for Temari since she didn't want to take too much damage from this fight that she would be useless during the invasion.

"Begin!" Gekko shouted as Temari opened her fan and unleashed a blast of wind at Hinata who let the wind take her as she used chakra to land on the wall and started running along it until she leapt up and closed in on Temari, sending out a barrage of smoke bombs to distract Temari and keep her guessing as to where she was coming from.

"Not going to work!" Temari shouted as she created a gale to blow the smoke away but found that as it disappeared that Hinata was no where in sight.

"Hakke Sanjūni Shō(Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms)." Hinata said from behind her as she struck "Two palms, four palms, eight palms, sixteen palms, thirty-two palms!" Temari cringed in pain as each hit sent her further and on the last set, sending her flying as Hinata continued stricking again and pressing the advantage, leaning around Temari's fan that she had closed up and swung, hoping to use it's weight to crush her. Soon Hinata had closed every tenketsu point on Temari and nodded as the girl was clearly defeated.

"Winner Hinata!" Gekko exclaimed as the girl nodded and went back up to see her teammates.

"Told you." Anko laughed as she looked at Asuma "Pay up."

"Fine fine..." Asuma sighed as he passed her several hundred ryo.

"You realize that it was a suckers bet." Kakashi remarked.

"Like your's is any better?" Anko asked.

"I bet that Naruto would win." Kakashi argued.

"Maybe, but you think that Sasuke will last five minutes against him is ridiculous." Kurenai remarked "We all know that Naruto will destroy him under two minutes."

"Hence the bet." Kakashi chuckled "I at least know that my student is going to lose in this, he just got lucky enough to make it to the second round."

"But you didn't tell him this did you?" Asuma asked.

"No. Be bad for his confidence." Kakashi stated.

"I wouldn't be worried about that." Anko laughed "I'd be more worried about his ego."

"Too true." Asuma laughed as he lit a cigarette "Now let's see how this plays out."

Omoi and Gaara had both entered the arena and Gaara was just staring calmly at Omoi while the boy sucked away at his lollipop.

"Begin!" Gekko shouted as he moved back as Gaara's sand rushed out of the gourd and headed straight towards Omoi who moved back and flashed through several handsigns.

"Raiton: Jibashi(Electromagnetic Murder)!" Omoi shouted as he sent a wave of electricity towards Gaara who only sent waves of sand to ground the lightning before it even got close to him.

"Pathetic." Gaara stated as he started sending his sand into the ground to create more of it.

"Ok... maybe I should try this. Raiton: Byakurai(Pale Lightning)!" Omoi shouted as he sent a concentrated bolt of lightning at Gaara who brough up his sand barrier and was shocked as it pierced it, and then hit his sand armor before stopping, shattering a portion of it but inflicting no real damage to him.

"Die." Gaara hissed "Saikō Zettai Kōgeki: Shukaku no Hoko(Ultimately Hard Absolute Attack: Spear of Shukaku)." The sand that Gaara had been sending into the ground rose up then and formed a halberd, shaped like a claw. Grinning manically Gaara threw the spear and Omoi blinked before leaping up onto the wall and away from the weapon as it broke through the wall below him.

"That could have killed me, or perhaps paralyzed me and left me vulnerable to him." Omoi muttered as he started going through the handsigns for his final jutsu, the one he planned on saving for the finals but he now realized that if he wanted to stand a chance he was going to need to use it now.

"Raiton: Raikōhō(Thunder Roar Sear)!" Omoi shouted as he created a sphere of lightning in his hand and then thrust it towards Gaara, shooting it off as it expanded and became a massive lightning blast, covering Gaara and a chunk of the arena. When the blast ended and everyone was able to see again they saw a sphere of sand covering Gaara, and that it was now disappating, revealing the Sunagakure genin to be unharmed.

"I forfeit!" Omoi called out to the proctor who nodded and declared Gaara the winner.

"Most impressive." Sarutobi noted.

"No kidding. Kid took a Raikōhō without even blinking." A sighed "And that ends my villages part in these exams."

"It was an impressive display though. He clearly researched his opponent and had no way of knowing that Gaara would be capable of turning bedrock into sand." Mei added.

"In the end your child has done quite well Kazekage-sama." Sarutobi stated looking at the man.

"Indeed. He has become quite the shinobi." he nodded while thinking _"What is that damn jinchuruki doing?! He was supposed to transform and start rampaging!"_

"The next match is Neji Hyuga versus Rukia Kuchiki." Gekko stated. The two quickly entered the arena and faced each other, with Neji smirking slightly as he prepared to take down his opponent quickly and save his strength for the real opponents later on. When the match started Rukia struck first.

"Some no mai, Tsukishiro." Rukia stated as she drew her sword and created the circle under them both before moving out of it. Neji was aware of this trick though and struck, moving outside of the circle he moved to get in close to Rukia and close her tenketsu points and stop her from posing any threat to him, moving to make the first strike Rukia smirked as she turned, moving with a simple grace and dodged his strike while slashing at his back. Neji reacted with a smirk and simply stated.

"Hakkeshō Kaiten(Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven)." Neji spun in a circle and created a sphere of charka that repulsed Rukia's attack and sent her skidding back at the sudden burst.

"Impressive." Rukia nodded as she started noting how he had done that technique and came up with an idea "But I won't be defeated that easily."

"You have no hope of winning. It is my destiny to defeat you." Neji replied coldy.

"Destiny?" Rukia snorted "There is no such thing. Life is what you make of it."

"Is that so?" Neji retorted.

"It is. I may be from a royal family, but I was adopted into it. I lived on the streets with Renji for years, growing up an orphan and doing what I had to survive. I was found by a member of the Kuchiki family and they saw my potential and took me in and made sure that Renji had a better life as well. Life is what you will make of it, and if you hide behind words like destiny then you are nothing but a coward." Rukia replied calmly as she sheathed her blade "To prove it, I will beat you without having to use the second technique."

"Your arrogance will be your downfall." Neji replied as he prepared to finish her off."

"No, but yours will be." Rukia stated as she did a few handsigns and smirked "Raiton: Rikujōkōrō(Six Rods Prison of Light)!" Rukia exclaimed as six bars of light shot out and speared through Neji, pinning him in place as Rukia started her next set of handsigns "Katon: Sōkatsui(Blue Fire Crash Down)!" Rukia then unleashed a burst of blue fire that smashed into Neji, sending him flying while delivering debilitating burns to him, ending the match.

"Winner Rukia." Gekko exclaimed as the medics ran on to the field.

"Let this be a lesson to you Neji-san. Nothing is ever set in stone." Rukia stated as she walked away.

"We will be taking a ten minute intermission at this point!" Gekko announced as the spectators all stood and started discussing the various matches.

"Most impressive this year." Mei nodded.

"Agreed." Sarutobi nodded "But the matches aren't done yet. I look forward to seeing what they can do."


	17. Chunin Exam Finals pt 2

_AN: Alright folks, first some news for all of you. I plan on rewriting chapters 2, 3, and 4. This is because plenty of you have said that it was rushed and I do agree with you. So after I finish the next chapter i will be rewriting those three chapters to make them better and to better show what happened with Naruto while he was there. Now on to the reviews. Or I would if there was something to reply to really other then the praise on the good chapter, which I assume means that there weren't any really bad errors on my part. Anyways, leave your reviews at the end and I hope you enjoy this chapter._

Chunin Exam Finals pt. 2

"The next match is Naruto Uzumaki versus Sasuke Uchiha." Gekko shouted as the pair entered the arena, a visible aura of hatred between them as they faced each other.

"Time to die dope." Sasuke grinned.

"Bring it on weakling." Naruto replied as he took a fighting stance.

"Begin!" Gekko shouted as he moved back and watched as Naruto and Sasuke clashed in pure taijutsu. Sasuke had gotten much faster and was now a much stronger opponent but Naruto had him beat in terms of speed and general ability. He blocked a punch and moved into the gap, unleashing an elbow blow that he reinforced by using his palm to smash into his fist, making the blow more devastating as it cracked two of Sasuke's ribs, sending the Uchiha back in pain. Naruto didn't let up though and continued to move through the gaps that were created and unleashed various blows on the Uchiha, from Karate punches that lifted him off of the ground, to Mauy Thai knee and elbow blows that were so devastating that it left Sasuke reeling. By the time Naruto had stopped he looked at the bloody and bruised Sasuke who could barely stand and looked at the proctor to call the match. Just before Gekko could though Naruto heard the sound of chirping birds and saw Sasuke charging at him with his fist covered in lightning as he prepared to stab his fist through Naruto.

"CHIDORI!" Sasuke roared as he thrust the attack towards Naruto who reacted by dropping low and turning so he took Sasuke's back while flashing through handsigns of his own.

"Futon: Tatsumaki no Ken(Tornado Fist)." Naruto stated as his fist wrapped in a high pressure sphere of wind that roughly equaled an F3 tornado in wind speed and then punched Sasuke in the back, watching him go flying across the arena, and into the wall where he smashed into it with enough force to knock him unconscious.

"Winner Naruto!" Gekko exclaimed as he motioned for the medics. Naruto only nodded at this and walked back up to the competitors box where Shino and Hinata would be up next.

"Most impressive." Mei nodded "It's been a long time since I've seen anyone deal a taijutsu beatdown like that."

"No kidding." A nodded "That was some seemless work there."

"Yes, he worked very hard on his taijutsu techniques." Sarutobi smiled as he watched the boy he cared for like a grandson do so well.

Hinata and Shino entered the arena and after shaking hands they moved away from each other, both unsure of how this would play out. When Gekko started the match Shino knew that he was going to need to end this quikcly and unleashed his hives.

"Forgive me Hinata, but I will defeat you here and now." Shino stated as he launched his technique "Hijutsu: Mushidama(Secret Technique: Insect Sphere)."

The insects then targetted Hinata who saw them coming and prepared her ultimate defense.

"You're not the only one with new techniques Shino." Hinata stated "Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō(Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms)."

Hinata then started moving her arms, creating a high powered defensive shield that started cutting through Shino's insects as they got close to her, even when they tried for her blind spot they couldn't get through and were sliced. This stand off continued for several minutes before Shino realized that he wouldn't be able to defeate Hinata like this, since she could maintain this technique for who knew how long. In the end Shino realized that this was going to be his defeat and recalled his hives.

"I admit my defeat. Your defense is far to superior to my offensive capabilities." Shino stated as he bowed his head to his teammate "It appears that I am the first from our team to be elimantated."

"I'm sorry Shino, but I can't afford to lose." Hinata stated as they walked off, with Gekko making the announcement.

"Interesting battle." the Kazekage noted "I hadn't realized that the Hyuga had developed such techniques."

"Some are more specialized then others." Sarutobi replied "But now your son gets a pass while the next match starts."

"Indeed." the Kazekage nodded, staring as the next two combatants arrived.

Tenten frowned at Rukia who had her hand on her katana, staring at Tenten with pure focus.

"The next match is Rukia versus Tenten. Begin!" Gekko shouted as he moved away and Rukia drew her blade but didn't unleash her opening move, but instead moved towards Tenten. Tenten smiled as she leapt back and unsealed her Meteor Hammers spinning the metal heads around.

"Let's see what you can do." Tenten stated as she threw one of the heads, and smirked as Rukia deflected it but didn't see Tenten pull the chain to get it to spin back and wrap around her blade.

"Impressive." Rukia stated as she managed to keep her grip on the blade, though it was trapped.

"I don't intend to lose here." Tenten replied calmly as she prepared to throw the other one.

"Neither do I." Rukia replied she channeled chakra into the blade and watched as ice started to coat the chain while Rukia pulled, shattering the frozen links and destroying the weapon's usefulness.

"Fine. We do it like this then." Tenten stated as she threw away the weapon and grabbed the two scrolls "Sōshōryū!" The storm of weapons was unleashed but Rukia only smirked as she turned the blade so it was facing the ground and tapped it four times in a half circle before speaking.

"Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren(Next Dance, White Ripple)." Rukia stated as she gathered the attack to point of her blade and thrusted it forward creating an avalanche of freezing air that rose up and blocked the weapons heading towards her and smashed into Tenten, trapping her in ice.

"Winner Rukia!" Gekko shouted as he realized that Tenten was finished. Rukia nodded and walked away while several shinobi came down to help thaw out the ice.

"Incredible." C whistled.

"Yes, Rukia is one of our most promising shinobi." Mei nodded "Her brother is a very determined man and works her hard, but he is one of her instructors."

"One of?" Sarutobi asked.

"Yes. That team has two." Zabuza nodded "They got called away for a mission but they were supposed to be here by now."

"Something must have come up." Mei stated calmly "Besides your favorite blonde is up."

"This should be interesting." Zabuza chuckled as Naruto and Hinata entered the arena and both smiled at each other.

"Hey Hinata-chan, winner buys dinner tonight?" Naruto asked.

"Sure." Hinata giggled as Gekko started the match and Naruto started flashing through handsigns.

"Doton: Yomi Numa(Swamp of the Underworld)!" Naruto shouted as he slammed his hands on the ground and created the muck under Hinata who realized what was happening and leapt up trying to avoid the worst of it, but realized that was what Naruto wanted, and he had his guns out and simply smirked.

"Have a nice dream." Naruto called to her as he fired, sending a barrage of chakra at Hinata who created her Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō to defend herself, cutting the charka before it could hit her but letting the blasts push her further and further back from the swamp. When she landed she smirked as Naruto holstered his guns and leapt up on to the wall heading for Hinata who did the same thing. The pair met in the middle and began a taijutsu battle that Naruto had to be extremely cautious of since all Hinata had to do was make a few good hits and he would be cut off from his chakra. Naruto managed to avoid the blows, dodging around them with precision as he struck in turn trying to hit Hinata but she knew Naruto too well and managed to get past his attacks as well. The pair looked like they were locked in an intricate dance as they dodged each others blows by the smallest of margins and tried to counterattack only for the other to dodge them. Finally Naruto struck with his elbow, letting Hinata move into the gap and strikie him several times.

"Got you." Naruto smirked as he grabbed her arms, pinning them down as he swept her legs out from under her and then as she dropped he brought up a knee, stopping it just short of her face "This is checkmate."

"Yes..." Hinata sighed as she knew what would have happened if they had continued to fight. Naruto would have struck with the knee, dazing her and then unleash a taijutsu barrage that would have finished the fight. He might care greatly for her, but in this instance they were enemies.

"Winner Naruto!" Gekko exclaimed as Hinata and Naruto moved out of the arena.

Hiashi nodded in approval at how his daughter had done and was certain that this would satisfy the elders for now. Hanabi only stared at her older sister, shocked that the girl that she had always beaten had done so well.

Gaara and Rukia soon entered the arena and Rukia struck first, unleashing a ninjutsu attack first.

"Raiton: Rikujōkōrō!" Rukia exclaimed as the bars of light pinned Gaara in place "I only have enough chakra for one final attack. Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren!" Rukia unleashed the avalanche of ice at Gaara who only created a massive sand barrier to block the incoming wave, reinforcing the barrier with more and more sand as the ice started to pile up until there was a massive ice wall now where it and the sand had met.

"Die." Gaara stated as he took the sand and created a wave of it, intent on getting some blood this fight before he faced Naruto and sated his mother's hunger. Rukia's eyes widened when she saw the sand coming and quickly took out several kunai wrapped in explosive tags, throwing them towards the sand then detonating them, buying her a few seconds to get away from the wave while trying to find a way to finish this fight. In the end she realized that there wasn't anything that she could do to beat Gaara since her strongest technique had been stopped so easily.

"I forfeit!" Rukia exclaimed, just before the sand was about to grab her. Gekko reacted quickly by grabbing Rukia and moving her out of the way as Gaara shot him a murderous look.

"Gaara is the winner!" Gekko shouted as he let Rukia go back to the spectators area while Naruto came down and faced Gaara "And now the finals, Naruto Uzumaki versus Subaku no Gaara. Begin!"

Gaara just grinned as he sent a wave of sand towards the blonde who had started his own handsigns.

"Futon: Kamikaze(Divine Wind)!" Naruto shouted as he unleashed the wind that created several small tornados on the ground, drawing in the sand as Naruto flashed through more handsigns for his next technique "Katon: Hibashiri(Running Fire)!" Naruto then let loose a jet of fire that he sent into each tornado, creating spinning pillars of fire that turned the sand inside of each of them to glass, lowering Gaara's sand count by a great deal. Gaara blinked at this as his sand shield protected him from the worst of it, but not from what Naruto planned next, having taken off using speeds that were beyond most shinobi to reapppear behind Gaara and swung his blade, watching as it managed to get past the sand shield and slashed away at the sand armor Gaara was wearing, shocking the Jinchuruki that Naruto had taken his back. The sand soon was trying to catch the blonde who was just too fast for it and was moving around so much that he was finding various gaps with ease and cutting his way through them, chipping away at Gaara's armor until he was forced to stop when Gaara had apparently decided to give up on defense and just created a massive wave of sand.

"Well shit." Naruto cursed as he saw the giant wave and flashed through more hand signs "Thanks for this Ero-Sennin. Futon: Atsugai(Pressure Damage)!" Naruto fired a condenced sphere of wind that struck with such force that it created a massive gap in the wave of sand, granting Naruto a safe passage as he created a clone and had it transform into a scythe. Taking of at a sprint he was soon inside Gaara's zone, twirling the weapon and using it to chip away at his armor while hitting him with both ends of the weapon, confusing Gaara at what to do against such an attack. Finally Naruto managed to get the opening that he was looking for and slashed down with enough force that it cut through the sand armor and bit into Gaara's flesh. Gaara's sand seemed to react to with rage as all of the sand he had at his control suddenly converged on Naruto, intent on trapping him. Naruto blinked as he let the clone stop being a scythe and throw him into the air where he avoided the worst of the sand, but the clone was trapped. Naruto landed on the wall of the arena and stared at Gaara who had a hand on the wound and stared at it completely confused.

"This is blood... MY BLOOD!" he shouted in complete fear and confusion. His sand started to wrap around him now, creating a sphere of sand that he was locking himself inside of while he did something. Naruto frowned and created several Kage Bunshin to attack the sphere so he could learn what it could do. As they all charged forward spikes shot out from the sphere, piercing each of the clones and killing them.

_"Damn." Naruto mentally hissed "That hurt."_

_"You just felt yourself get stabbed ten times through the chest simeltaneously." Kyubi deadpanned "Odds are that he's buying time to turn into his full Biju mode, so what we are going to need to do is somehow pierce that barrier of his."_

_"Use that?" Naruto asked._

_"It's our best bet." Kyubi nodded._

Naruto simply stepped down onto the ground where he drew his guns and started channeling his and Kyubi's chakra into the guns.

"Synchronization complete. Noise 0.02%. Feedback in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... KITSUNE CANNON!" Naruto roared as he finished pouring the two chakras into the guns then pulled the trigger, creating a massive blast of energy that was comparable to a weak Bijudama. The blast struck the sphere with a loud detonation and when the smoke cleared Gaara stood there, his right arm and right side of his face transformed into Shikaku.

"What on earth..." Sarutobi stated as he suddenly felt a kunai placed against his back as the Kazekage grabbed him, and nodded towards his guards as he leapt up to the roof of the Kage box, with A and Mei right behind him, getting onto the roof just as his two bodyguards became four nin, that created a barrier to stop anyone from entering, and then a second one that would protect them from attacks from the inside.

"It's so good to see you again Sarutobi-sensei." Orochimaru laughed "But it's a shame I couldn't get you alone."

From outside of the barrier the sound of explosions could be heard as the invasion of Konahagakure no Sato had begun.


	18. Invasion

_AN: Ok here we are again._

_dracoessa: Orochimaru won't be dying just yet. Kind of need him around for awhile._

_And that is all for the reviews... that was really short. Ok, as I said before I will be rewriting chapters 2, 3, and 4. They need the rewrite, really badly. So for the next few weeks you'll have to bare with me as I fix my mistake caused by my hastiness. I will reply to your reviews for this chapter when I get to chapter 18. Ok, as always, leave your reviews at the end._

Invasion

The attack began with quick focused assualts on the walls of the village and amongst the spectators. On top of the Kage booth, the three Kage's faced Orochimaru while their repective bodyguards stood outside of the barrier, trying to figure out a way to get inside.

"Don't worry about us." Mei stated "Help the village, they are going to need it."

"But..." Chojuro began.

"Don't bother arguing with her." Zabuza stated as he grabbed the younger one's sholder "Now let's go. We've got work to do!"

"Raikage-sama?" C asked.

"Go on. Consider this our apology for the Hyuga incident." A replied as his two bodyguards nodded and took off with the three Kiri guards.

"So confident are we?" Orochimaru asked as he pushed Sarutobi over to the other Kages "Well no matter. This just means that I get to kill four of the five Kages!"

"So you did kill the Yondaime Kazikage." Sarutobi frowned "You have fallen far my student."

"No further then necessary." Orochimaru chuckled as he prepared to fight them.

On the walls the shinobi had been warned that Orochimaru might be up to something so they were prepared to a degree, until giant snakes started attacking.

"Hold them back!" a chunin roared as he leapt away from the massive snake, sending a kunai into the side of it's face "We need to hold the walls!"

"Kuchiyose: Yatai Kuzushi no Jutsu(Summoning Technique: Food Cart Destroyer Technique)!" Jiraiya shouted from above the snake as he summoned a giant toad and let it smash the snake. Jiraiya observed the area, noting that the snakes were now converging on the threat that had killed one of their own.

"Let him have it Gamahiro." Jiraiya nodded.

"Of course." Gamahiro nodded as he drew the two swords on his back and sliced off two different snakes heads.

In the Chunin exam arena Kakashi and the other jonin had their hands full trying to fight off the Oto jonin that had been disguised as ANBU. Kakashi just finished blocking one's attacks while sending a kunai into the back of one that was headed for Anko who was dealing with her own foe.

"They are persistent." Asuma stated as he finished slicing one's throat open with his trench knives.

"Can't disagreed there." Kurenai nodded as she finished trapping another pair in a genjutsu while sending kunai knives into their heads as she moved back to back with Anko who had finished sending snakes into her opponent.

"I'm more concerned about the rest of the village." Kakashi stated as he looked at the rest of the enemy nin that were being dealt with by other shinobi.

"Fear not my youthful rival! There are plenty of other shinobi out in the village that will deal with these most unyouthful foes!" Gai exclaimed as he delivered a spinning kick to another enemy "And it appears our youthful students have taken to dealing with these foes as well!"

"WHAT?!" Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai exclaimed.

True to Gai's statement the various genin had reacted to the threat with all due diligence. Gaara had fled, with Naruto hot on his trail, while Temari and Kankuro, following their orders had begun to attack the village. Kankuro was soon cornered by Shino, who had his insects surroundng the Sunagakure nin.

"I had a feeling that there was something afoot, why you might ask? This is because you, who fought so hard in the preliminaries suddenly forfeiting before our fight. It is safe to assume that you prepared several traps within that puppet you use." Shino elaborated as he stared at the shinobi.

"So you're a smart one." Kankuro chuckled as he unraveled Crow "Well let's see what you got!"

Kankuro then threw down a smokebomb and hid while he had Crow start attacking Shino, who had his insects swarm the puppet, devouring the chakra and start heading towards Kankuro's hiding place. Kankuro realized that this was bad and cut the chakra strings and let Crow fall limp while he moved, and then reactivated parts of it, and having them attack Shino. First was an arm that launched a poison canister towards Shino who managed to leap up a building to avoid the worst of it. Then it was Crow's head that had a poison blade come out of it's mouth and tried to stab him, but Shino rolled to the side and dodge it while his insects devoured the chakra. This continued for sometime until Shino smirked when he heard Kankuro's scream as he was attacked by the insects.

"HOW?!" Kankuro screamed as he rolled on the ground, trying to squich the bugs.

"Simple. I had one hive dealing with your puppet while my second hive were out searching for you. Once they located you I had my hives swarm you." Shino replied "You are finished."

"Damn you!" Kankuro shouted. Shino only turned and started to leave, letting his bugs stay and deal with Kankuro while he helped out where he could. Temari on the other hand had been caught by the lazy genius himself and she was less then thrilled by her first opponent.

"Of the hundreds of shinobi that I could have gone up against, I get the lazy bastard." Temari grumbled.

"This isn't exactly what I was looking to do today." Shikamaru replied "Pretend to fight?"

"Not a chance!" Temari shouted as she swung her fan and sent a massive burst of wind at Shikamaru. The pineapple haired shinobi grumbled as he landed against a building and flashed through the familiar hand signs.

"Kagemane no Jutsu." Shikamaru stated as he used the shadows of the buildings to increase the length of his shadow to bounce it around and after a few moments caught Temari from behind and had her trapped.

"Ugh... You bastard." Temari complained as he took out handcuffs and then had them locked up to a building after making her throw her fan as far as she could "You could at least continue to fight."

"That'd be too troublesome." Shikamaru replied as he sat down, keeping her trapped for as long as he could.

Elsewhere in the village various battles raged, with the shinobi from various clans taking down the shinobi. In the streets Kushina was moving among the enemy, her katana flashing as she cut down various opponents. It wasn't long before Baki appeared in front of her, a grin on his face.

"I'd heard that the Aka no Shi had returned to Konaha, and now I get the glory of killing her!" Baki exclaimed as he struck "Kaze no Yaiba(Blade of Wind)!"

Kushina only smirked as her blade went up and a distortion appeared in front of it as her own slash of wind met Baki's canceling his out.

"Don't get arrogant now. I've faced far deadlier opponents." Kushina smirked as she swung her blade "And you aren't the only one who can make a Kaze no Yaiba, I just learned how to make it on objects."

Baki smirked in turn as they clashed again, this time with him making a second Kazi no Yaiba and swinging them both at Kushina who was faster then him and was able to block the strikes though she was getting pushed back a bit. After a few moments of this Kushina leapt back and prepared to finish the fight.

"Aku-ryu Akuma no odori(Dance of the Demon)!" Kushina exclaimed as she struck speeding towards Baki who swung both his Kazi no Yaiba's at her but was shocked as she slipped around them and struck, spinning behind him she smashed his left side with the hilt of her katana, then back of his neck with the back of the blade. An elbow strike to his other side and then a series of rapid slashes to his front that left him on the ground bleeding and barely conscious.

"I...Incredible..." Baki gurgled. Kushina looked at him and then sheathed her blade and started to leave.

"You'll survive. You'll have some nasty looking scars, but you will live." Kushina stated as she left, moving to help stem the tide of the invaders.

Outside of the arena the various genin were working together to help hold off the Suna nin that were heading to reinforce the Oto shinobi that were already inside. Team Gai were working together with Neji keeping watch on their backs and taking out anyone that got too close with Lee handling those that came charging in from the front. Tenten was spinning her repaired Meteor Hammers and sending them flying over her teammates heads, letting them smash into the various nin that were getting close while other chunin arrived to either finish off the resistors or capture those that were unconscious or surrendured.

Hinata had started working with Ino and Choji, while the latter two acted in perfect tandem Hinata made sure to help keep an eye on their backs as Ino used her families techinque to subdue various shinobi while Choji rolled around as a massive tank and crushed several shinobi. Hinata was taking down shinobi left and right and soon the worst was over and there were several dozen shinobi that had been captured or killed.

"This is insane." Ino panted as she looked like she was about to puke.

"Take it easy Ino." Hinata said as she helped support the blonde.

"I'll be fine..." Ino argued.

"Ino, you're already past your limit." Choji remarked as he looked around "We managed to hold them off here, let's find somewhere safe for us to go and you can lay down and rest."

"But..."

"Don't argue with us." Hinata stated calmly as she turned as saw Kiba and Akamaru taking down a single chunin who didn't even see them coming.

"HA! You see that Hinata! I'm way better then Naruto, he isn't even here!" Kiba crowed.

"That's because he went after the bigger threat." Sasuke stated as he walked out of the arena, dragging a dead body of an Oto nin, his Sharingan spinning wildly "Gaara ran off and Naruto went after him. He knew that we can't let that one be alone too long."

"Since when do you agree with what Naruto does?" Kiba asked in shock.

"When I wish I had thought of it first." Sasuke stated "Naruto beat me to the punch on that one. Now let's finish up these invaders. Sakura already went to help get the civillians out and to the shelters, we should do the same."

"Agreed." Hinata nodded as they went off, and while she may dislike Sasuke and Kiba quite a bit, when the village was in danger all of them were willing to put aside their differences for their home.

Ichigo was still out of the fight, so Rukia was defending the medical area when suddenly a large group of shinobi were heading for her, and she was still low on chakra.

"Hyoton: Tsubame Fubuki(Swallow Snow Storm)." a voice from the other end of the hallway said as a barrage of ice needles slammed into the Oto nin, stopping them in their tracks.

"Haku." Rukia nodded as the other girl walked towards her.

"Rukia. Good to see you again." Haku nodded as she created an ice wall to stop any more shinobi from getting to them "Better lay low here."

"Agreed. I'm still drained from my fights, and Ichigo is still in bad shape." Rukia nodded.

"Be thankful he's in this good shape. Naruto did worse to Zabuza." Haku noted as she sat in front of the wall, making sure that she could maintain it.

In the village Renji was cutting loose by having Zabimaru completely unsealed and using the massive blade to cut through his opponents. It didn't take long for him to get into the situation he was looking for, where he was surrounded by shinobi.

"Roar Zabimaru!" Renji shouted as he spun the blade over his head, extending it and letting it build up centrifcal force before is sliced through various shinobi that weren't quick enough to get out of the way as he spun it.

As the fighting in the village raged two figured approached the eastern gate where several Oto nin were. One was dressed like Ichigo and his team, except he had on a sleeveless white coat that had black designs on the hem and in a diamond on his back was the number six. At his side was a katana of his own, and in his jet black hair were white headpieces. His eyes were slate gray and he had an air of nobility about him. The other was almost like his polar opposite. This man was laid back and casual wearing a brown coat, with a white diamond pattern along its bottom half, with a dark green shirt and pants underneath. The coat was shorter then the other man's by only coming to the start of his legs while the other man's came to his lower legs. The laid back man carried a fan in one of his hands, wore geta on his feet and a green and white striped floppy bucket hat that shadowed his eyes and covered his pale blonde hair. In his other hand was a very unusual shaped sword. The hilt's grip, which had a gentle black-decorative wrapping, bended forward at the end, with a pommel shaped overlap three times, and a crimson tassel dangling from its base. Instead of a standard guard, there was a U-shape guard covering three inches of blade, with a flower petal design. At the base of the guard was a red string wrapped three times around the hilt, with a three-loop bow on the back side and a folded paper decoration on the front side. The blade was black with a silver edge, and was somewhat thicker than the average katana. It was straight and slim with a some what short size, with the tip ending in a slanted razor-like edge instead of tapering to a point.

"I told you we were going to be late." the black haired man stated.

"I said I was sorry." the other man chuckled "I didn't think that I'd sleep so late."

"Who're they?" an Oto nin asked.

"Doesn't matter. Kill them!" the commander shouted as they charged the pair.

"It seems we have enemies." the black haired man stated as he flickered from sight, and reappeared behind several of the shinobi, letting them drop with several slashes on them.

"That it does Byakuya-kun." the blonde agreed as he swung his blade "Sing, Benihime!" Swinging his blade a red chakra burst came off of it, slashing through the remaining Oto nin, letting their dead bodies fall to the ground.

"Well Kisuke-san, it appears that there was treachery." Byakuya stated as they entered the village.

"So it appears. We might as well help them." Kisuke laughed as he walked alongside Byakuya "Besides we should make sure that our students are all right."

On top of the Kage box Orochimaru placed his hands on the ground and brought up two coffins, opening them to reveal the Shodai and Nidaime Hokages. Before any of the Kage's could react Orochimaru placed two kunai's into the back of their heads and the two began to attack. A and Mei traded looks and the pair intercepted the two revived Hokages, with A targeting Tobimaru Senju while Mei went after Hashirama Senju.

"Be careful, those two can't be stopped without sealing them." Sarutobi warned as he summoned Enma, his famed partner.

"Noted." Mei replied as she leapt to dodge the worst of a swarm of trees that were heading for her. She was soon starting to flash through hand signs "Yoton: Yōgan gurobu(Lava Release: Lava Globs)." Mei was soon spitting out several large bursts of lava that struck Hashirama and sent him skidding back as they burned through him and he was soon healing and heading right back into the fray.

A had triggered his Raiton no Yoroi(Lightning Release Armor) and had taken the fight to Tobimaru who was at a complete disadvantage to the Raikage who was faster then him and was using his nintaijutsu to make short work of the Hokage. The only advantage that the revived Kage had was the fact that he couldn't be killed.

While the Mizukage and the Raikage kept the two Edo Tensei Hokages at bay Sarutobi dealt with his traitorous student. Orochimaru had Kusanagi out, and Enma warned Sarutobi that the blade would harm him. The pair fought in a dance that Sarutobi had to be extremely cautious in. He managed to avoid strikes from Orochimaru that should have hit, only by a hair bredth while Orochimaru took a few hits from his former teacher that he was surprised that he had been able to make. As the pair fought the other two Kages finally managed to get their opponents stunned enough for Mei to seal them, using her Yōgan gurobu technique to hit their feet and then rise up, sealing them inside a solid stone pillar that immobilized them. The pair then tuned to Orochimaru who realized that he was now in a far worse situation then he would care to be in, and while he did have a few options on this matter, they would not end well for him.

"The tables have turned." Orochimaru cursed as he dodged a strike from Sarutobi.

"Just give up Orochimaru." Sarutobi replied as Mei and A moved in from the sides.

"Not likely." Orochimaru replied as he created several clones and let them distract the three Kages while the Sound Four stopped the barriers and helped their leader escape, with one of them spitting out a strange web that caught the ANBU that were about to pursue them.

"Hmph. That was pathetic." A snorted as he looked at the fleeing Sannin.

"I wouldn't say that." Sarutobi sighed "We now have two revived Hokages that can't be killed and no way of stopping them. Untold numbers of people dead or injured, and the village damaged."

"And a giant Tanuki in the forest." Mei stated as she pointed to where a giant beast now stood in the forest.

"This is just getting better." A chuckled "Almost wish my brother was here."

"Isn't that supposed to be that Subaku no Gaara kid?" Mei asked.

"Yes... And Naruto went after him." Sarutobi said looking very pale.

At the start of the invasion Naruto had seen Gaara taking off, a deranged look on his face, and Kyubi had warned Naruto that if left alone too long then the Ichibi would come on out and go crazy. The pair had soon left the village and were a safe distance away where they now faced each other in the trees of the forest.

"You... you will please mother..." Gaara grinned.

"You mean Shukaku." Naruto replied "The deranged demon that you've got in your stomach."

"GIVE ME YOUR BLOOD!" Gaara shouted as he extended his transformed arm towards Naruto who simply dropped from the branch and had his guns out, firing at Gaara who only leapt out of the way, swinging his arm to send a barrage of sand bullets towards the blonde who shot down any one that was getting too close to him. The pair skidded to a standstill and faced each other, with Gaara's sand encasing more of his body every moment. Naruto ran some quick calculations through his mind and realized that at the rate that Gaara was transforming he would become a miniature Shukaku in a matter of minutes, and then be far harder to defeat.

_"Kit you're going to need to work very quickly. Shukaku may not be the most powerful in terms of strength but he is still a Biju." Kyubi warned._

_"I know." Naruto grumbled._

Leaping down several branches Naruto made several hundred clones and ordered them to attack Gaara while he tried to find the weakpoint in the Suna nin's transformation. It wasn't long before he saw exactly what he was looking for. Gaara had grown a tail and right beneath was where Naruto deemed the best spot to hit. If he could manage to hit it with a good sized explosion then he migth shatter the transformation before it could be complete. Ordering the rest of the clones to increase the assault Naruto took out a kunai and wrapped the tag around it and took careful aim. His timing was perfect and the blade struck just below the tail and with a boom the sand shattered, leaving Gaara standing there, a little weary but still very much capable of fighting.

"Why... Why do you fight me?!" Gaara shouted.

"I fight you because I know what you're going through. Probably better then any one alive." Naruto replied "I was hated and shunned by my village too. Hell I still am to a degree. But I found precious people, those that really care about me and want me around."

"A weakness!" Gaara spat.

"No. They are my strength. It's because of them that I fight." Naruto replied calmly.

"Then prove it!" Gaara roared as the sand wrapped around him, and he transformed into the full sized Shukaku "Prove that you are stronger by having those connections! Best me if you can Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Never make it easy for me..." Naruto complained as he bit through his thumb and flashed through the hand signs, placing his hand to the ground and summoning Gamabunta.

"What is it you brat?" The boss toad asked as he looked towards the giant Shukaku "Oh... You sure know how to pick your opponents. Picking on a biju..."

"Sorry, but if we don't stop him he's going to turn this entire area into another desert." Naruto replied. Naruto blinked when he saw that Gaara had slumped forward and then the giant tanuki started talking.

"I'm finally out! And there's someone to kill!" he shouted in joy as he stared at the pair. Shukaku then tok a deep breath before shooting out a condensed ball of air at them.

"Hold on!" Gamabunta shouted as he leapt into the air "Suiton: Teppōdama(Gunshot)!" Gamabunta then fired massive spheres of water at the biju who fired his Renkūdan(Drilling Air Bullet) in counterattack. The pair soon squared off again and Gamabunta seemed to have a plan.

"Listen, the only way to stop this guy is to wake up his container. You're going to need to get in close, so I need you to henge me into something with claws so that I can grab him." Gamabunta explained "Then all you have to do is wake that kid up."

"Sounds like a plan." Naruto nodded as he started to focus his chakra, and after a few moments and then placed his hand on Gamabunta's back, releasing the chakra and in a cloud of smoke the pair emerged, transformed to look like the Kyubi.

"YOU!" Shukaku roared as he lashed out, trying to attack them. The transformed pair weaved past his strikes and then once they had grabbed him they released the henge and Naruto leapt off Gamabunta's head and landed on top of Shukaku's head, moving towards Gaara. Shukaku however ould have none of that and soon arms of sand were reaching out to try and grab him, but Naruto was faster then the Biju gave him credit for and managed to weave through the arms and reach Gaara where he soon delivered a heel kick to the red headed teen's head, jolting him awake and forcing the Biju to disappear. As the sand dropped and Gamabunta disappeared the pair landed on top of two trees and stared at each other.

"So I win?" Naruto asked with a smirk as Gaara panted, clearly low on chakra nad reaching the end of his hope.

"No... I won't lose to you..." Gaara panted.

"Why, because you think that because I have people that I care for that I am weak?" Naruto asked "I just used those connections to best you."

"Why... Why do you have people that care for you and I don't?!" Gaara shouted.

Naruto smiled a sad smile as he spoke "Because I know what you've been through, but I didn't let that stop me. I fought through the pain and made a future for myself. You were faced with a hard life and you tried, but somewhere along the way you gave up. What you need to do is stand back up and try again. You don't ever fail until you quit."

Gaara stared at him for a moment longer before he felt something that he hadn't felt in a long time, tears, come from his eyes.

"Gaara, you already have one friend." Naruto stated as he offered his hand "And a friend isn't afraid to knock some sense into a friend."

Gaara blinked at this as Naruto leapt across the gap and slugged the red haired teen, letting him fall a bit before he righted himself and landed on a branch. It was a moment before Gaara chuckled a bit at what had happened before sitting down and passing out, exhausted from the fight.

All across the village the enemies were stopped and either captured or killed. By the end of the day the total casulty reports returned, with Konahagakure having lost close to four dozen shinobi and nearly a hundred civilians, a surprisingly low number. Sunagakure had lost a third of their forces to the fighting and the rest had either been captured or surrendured. Otogakure had lost more than three quarters of their total forces, a crippling blow and those that had surived had retreated, intent on making sure that the borders were secure from a possible counter attack. So it was that the invasion of Konahagakure came to a close and a uneasy tension began to grow across the world.


	19. Aftermath

_AN* Ok everyone. I know that I didn't update this when I updated the others, and that is because I did change out the three chapters that I said I was going to. I didn't get reviews on these so I assume that no one checked on the newer updates. Note for those in case you do go back and reread, I didn't include everything that happened as I do have some parts that are meant to be discussed when he goes back again. Now let me reply to those reviews from chapter 18_

_NARUTO1: This is not a harem story. Pure NaruHina. Sorry to disappoint but I want at least one of my stories for Naruto to be a single pairing._

_MarTinez9: Again, no harem._

_Baka-sama: thanks for that. Math and I are not friends as you can probably tell from that._

_jh831: He forgives Kushina beause it wasn't really her fault what happened to her. Not exactly like she planned on getting amnesia. As for his father, he still bears some resentment towards him, but in the end he understands that he did what had to be done, a leader must be willing to do what he would ask one of his followers to do._

_Dracoessa: I will see for the whole Orochimaru matter. And as for the summons, I'll consider it. It has some merit..._

_TheNewBlueMoon: Well here you go._

_Ok, now as always leave your reviews when done._

Aftermath

The next day after the invasion the repair work was already underway with shinobi helping civilians repair various buildings and moving debris. During all of this Sarutobi was meeting with several of the higher ranked jonin, clan heads and the Mizukage and Raikage to decide the results for the chunin exams.

"Well it is obvious that the three Sunagakure shinobi should be disqualified." a jonin stated calmly "They helped plan this whole thing."

"Agreed. The council and I will discuss the matter of Sunagakure later. For now let us focus on the remaining shinobi." Sarutobi nodded.

"Let's start with our reccomendations." Mei offered, getting nods of agreement "I move for Naruto to be promoted."

"Agreed here." A nodded "Kid did well in his matches and even helped stop a rampaging Jinchuruki, not something that should be taken lightly."

"Any objections?" Sarutobi asked and after a few moments of muttering the only person who spoke was Ebisu.

"Hokage-sama, that... boy... is still largely untested. I doubt his fitness for the promotion to chunin." Ebisu stated.

"You saw his matches yourself, what do you base this off of?" Sarutobi asked.

"My intuition, along with his past actions. Allow me to test him and see if he is capable of becoming a chunin."

"You may test him, but the promotion is still granted." Sarutobi replied as the other jonin and kage's nodded "Next I move for Rukia Kuchiki to be promoted."

"Agreed." a jonin nodded "Her battles showed her tactical capabilties are high and she has much potential."

"Any objections?" Sarutobi asked. When none were voiced they continued their talks over who should be promoted and who should remain genin and after a few hours they had finally reach an agreement. Once it was reached they called all of the participants to the council chambers where they would find out their results. As they all stood there, some of them looking pretty banged up while others seemed to being doing much better.

"First let us congratulate all of you." Sarutobi began "You have all performed marvolously in these exams and all show excellent potential, however only a few of you showed the neccessary level to make the rank of Chunin. Omoi from Kumogakure, you have been given the rank of chunin due to masterful planning and quick adaption to a powerful opponent. Rukia Kuchiki from Kirigakure, you have been promoted to the rank of chunin due to your own masterful planning and ability to gauge an opponent in a trying situation. From Konahagakure, Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, and Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze have all been promoted due to their performance during the exams and during the invasion. Congratulations to all of you who have been promoted, and to those that weren't you will learn from this and do better next time I hope. Dismissed."

The shinobi all bowed to the Hokage before walking out of the room where Ichigo was soon laughing and patting Naruto on the back.

"Way to go blondie!" he laughed "Promoted to chunin already, shame I couldn't have given a better showing."

"That's because you fought him in the first round." Rukia replied calmly before smirking at her teammate who glared at her a moment before chuckling.

"Well at least one of us got promoted." he chuckled.

"Indeed." Byakuya said as he approached with Kisuke "I have read the reports of your fights and I am impressed with your growth."

"Yep." Kisuke laughed "Though you still have a ways to go Ichigo-kun."

"I know." Ichigo sighed as he saw Naruto about to leave "Hey hold on a sec!" Naruto paused and looked at Ichigo who dragged him over to meet his sensei's "Kisuke-sensei, Byakuya-sensei, this is Naruto the guy that beat me in the first round."

"Ah, so this is the kid that creamed you." Kisuke laughed as he looked at Naruto "You've got talent I can see that. No wonder Zabuza-san respects you so much."

"Thanks." Naruto nodded "I don't mean to be rude, but I should go see my sensei."

"Of course. It is a pleasue to meet you young man." Byakuya nodded as Naruto walked off and soon found Kurenai and his teammates out front waiting for him.

"Way to go Naruto!" Kurenai smiled as she ruffled his hair "You all did great!"

"I'm shocked that we all were promoted." Hinata admitted.

"I agree. This is most unusual." Shino nodded.

"We just made a good showing of ourselves. We worked hard and earned it." Naruto smiled "Now let's celebrate!"

Kurenai smiled at this and they were soon heading for a restaurant to celebrate their promotion.

Back in the council chamber there was a general uproar about the promotion.

"Hokage-sama, surely you can't be denying Sasuke the rank of chunin?!" a councilor on the civilian side exclaimed.

"I am." Sarutobi nodded "He did not show the necessary skills needed to lead missions."

"But that brat did?" Homura asked.

"He did." Hiashi nodded "He showed forethought to his actions and when the invasion started he went to face an opponent that had the potential to destroy the entire village, on his own. He showed selflessness and a good understanding of what would be ordered if orders could be given."

"And Sasuke-sama didn't?" Komura asked.

"No he did not. He went too far in both his matches, showing that he still has much to learn about being a chunin. Naruto on the other hand showed the perfect amount of restraint and proper respect for an opponent, such as when he helped stem the bleeding on Ichigo Kurosaki after their match." Sarutobi replied calmly "Naruto has earned this promotion. Some more time as a genin will not hurt Sasuke any, and it might teach him some humility."

This got several mutterings from the civilians before Choza spoke up.

"Anyways we are here for a reason. We need to discuss what we are going to do about Sunagakure." he stated, bringing them all back to the matter at hand.

"Yes, let's figure out how to handle this mess." Sarutobi sighed "The damage done to the village was minimal due to the timely intervention by our shinobi. However the problem here is bigger then we thought. Sunagakure has sent us a missive saying that the Kazekage was assassinated some time before the invasion and that someone was impersonating him. They have plausible deniability in the matter, however we can demand repayment for damages and loss of life."

"That would not be wise." Danzo spoke up, shocking everyone that he was speaking on the matter. The old war hawk was not one to usually attend such meetings and when he did it meant that there was something big about to occur.

"What would you suggest then?" Sarutobi asked.

"We sue for peace. The cause of this attack was the fact that we have been accepting far to many missions from their damiyo. We offer them one of two options. The first being that we will limit down our own missions taken from their nation so that their village will have a chance at recovery. The other being that we keep the course and the next time that they do this we invade them." Danzo explained, earning nods from all members "This way they have a chance to reinforce our alliance, or break away and we will know where we stand with them."

"I cannot see any reason to say no to this. An excellent idea Danzo-san." Sarutobi nodded to his former teammate, knowing that this was the perfect comprimise for those that wanted peace and those that wanted to retaliate "Now that this is settled I must ask that the civilians step out so we may discuss shinobi matters."

Some mutterings were heard as the non-combatant half of the council left and the meeting continued.

"What is it that we need to discuss?" Inoichi asked.

"The matter that we have two revived and indestructible Hokage's." Sarutobi sighed "I have looked into the notes that the Nidaime had on the Edo Tensei, and the only way to get rid of them for good is to have the Shinigami devour their souls."

"But that would mean..." Homura muttered, shocked at what Sarutobi was suggesting.

"I know. It is why I am not doing this just yet. The Mizukage has them locked up nice and tight, but it won't last forever." Sarutobi explained "It is why I intend to name the Godaime Hokage soon. I will need to confer with Jiraiya about this matter and we will discuss suggestions as to who will take my place. Once it has been decided I will give my life to send my former senseis back to the afterlife."

The silence thundered through the room as the shinobi and elders glanced at each other trying to imagine the village without the old shinobi leading them.

"Is there no other way?" Hiashi asked finally, saying what was on all of their minds.

"No. I have checked and read through the notes, even going through the notes that Orochimaru had on the matter from the lab that we raided. The only other way is for Orochimaru to undo the jutsu and we know that he will not, seeing as how he need only wait and eventually when our guard is down he will have them unleashed and we will be forced to fight against two almost unstoppable shinobi." Sarutobi sighed "I will inform you all of when this will be handled. Until then you are dismissed."

The shinobi and elders all rose and bowed before leaving, with the exception of Danzo who stayed to talk with his former teammate.

"It's interesting to see how things have changed." Danzo noted.

"Indeed. Hard to believe that we were once so young and our only worry was keeping up with our training for sensei." Sarutobi chuckled.

"Hizuren." Danzo began "I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Sarutobi asked, a frown on his face.

"As you know, I have had ROOT remain active and maintaining various information pools. One that has come to my attention relates to a search for information that you wanted, regarding Naruto."

"You found the ones that had the seals put on him?!" Sarutobi exclaimed.

"I have." Danzo nodded "I admit that one was put on by myself, on the off chance that he were to turn rouge I had a kill seal placed on him. However my fears were unfounded and he has proved himself to be an excellent shinobi, loyal to a fault. I had the activation seal destroyed once I saw this, more then two years ago."

"I see..." Sarutobi sighed "Danzo what you did was wrong, however you acted in the best interest of the village and no harm was done so I will only place a fine on you that you will have to pay directly to Naruto."

"That is fair." Danzo nodded "The other seals took some time to trace back, however I have managed to piece it all together. The mental supressant seal was done by Tsugi Yamanaka. The chakra supressant on the Kyubi's seal was done by a former ANBU, however he is already dead having died during the invasion, however I have frozen his accounts so he may pay a fine to Naruto since the proper punishment can't be performed. The second chakra supressant seal was done by Haizo Hyuga, who is currently out on a mission and is due to return in a few days. I have left orders with the gate guards to detain him when he arrives. The growth supressant seal was placed by Chosu Akamichi, and he along with Tsugi have been taken in by ANBU and are being questioned as we speak."

Sarutobi nodded and was once again thankful that his teammate was so meticulous in his information gathering.

"I see. The three still living shall be removed from active duty until further notice and imprisoned for a period of four years, unless something more incriminating comes up." Sarutobi nodded.

"Of course." Danzo nodded as they prepared to leave "Who do you intend to have replace you?"

"I'm not sure. Jiraiya won't do since he has his information network to manage and will need to be out of the village most of the time." Sarutobi mused "Tsunade is an option, as are you."

"I must decline." Danzo smiled "Once upon a time I would have given my arm for that position but I have come to realize that I best serve the village from the shadows."

"You may be the only other option." Sarutobi noted "Tsunade will not be easily convinced to take the job."

"I think I know someone that might be able to." Danzo noted "Send Naruto with Jiraiya to find her. That should help smooth things over with her since he is very much like her lost loved ones."

"Or it could set her over the edge." Sarutobi replied as they walked out of the room "But there is nothing to lose on the matter. And this is a good chance to give Naruto his first chance to lead a mission."

"Grooming him up for the position of Rokudaime?" Danzo asked with a grin.

"Eventually. Given his heritage it wouldn't surprise me." Sarutobi nodded "He has all the right signs to be a good leader. All that is missing is experience."

"Something that he can get in abundance on missions." Danzo nodded in turn "If it is any constalation, I will keep an eye on him after you leave."

"I appreciate it." Sarutobi nodded "We may have had our differences but in the end we want the same thing, Konahagakure to prosper."

"All too true." Danzo nodded as they parted ways.

The next day Naruto was called into Sarutobi's office where Jiraiya was already waiting.

"What's up?" Naruto asked.

"I have a mission for you." Sarutobi replied as he handed Naruto the scroll "This will be an A rank mission due to the length and the difficulty of finding the target, not to mention the possibility that there may be resistance."

"Track down Tsunade Senju." Naruto read as he nodded "It says I can pick two others to join this mission."

"Yes. But you will be the one in charge. Jiraiya will be accompanying you on the off chance that you need the assistance and to convince Tsunade to come back." Sarutobi explained.

"Ok." Naruto hummed as he thought about what kind of team he would need "It's going to be a tracking mission so my best bet would be to have a Hyuga and an Inazuka with me. I know that Hinata is free and given that we are former teammates we will be able to easily work together. As for the Inazuka, who is free?"

Sarutobi smiled at Naruto's line of thought as he handed the blonde the list of what the clan's shinobi were currently doing. Naruto read each name and soon sighed in frustration.

"Looks like I have to take Kiba, seeing as how most of them are already on missions or are out on patrol." Naruto sighed.

"There is no one else?" Jiraiya asked.

"None that would be willing to take orders from a thirteen year old kid." Naruto replied "The only other two that were free were Tsume and Hana, and I know that both of them are too busy to handle this sort of thing."

"Very well then." Sarutobi nodded "Gather what supplies you will need and inform your teammates. The sooner you start the sooner you can find Tsunade and come home."

Naruto only nodded as he and Jiraiya walked out, heading straight for Naruto's house where he quickly grabbed some supplies that he thought he might need and left a note for Kushina to inform her that he would be away for a month on a mission. Once that was done he went over and rapped on the gate for the Hyuga compound. It took a moment for it to open and when the branch member saw both Naruto and Jiraiya they knew that this was business.

"How may I help you?" he asked.

"Could you please inform Hinata Hyuga that she has been requested for a mission and that she will need to pack for a month's travel if she accepts." Naruto explained in a pure business tone that surprised Jiraiya. The branch member nodded as he went inside and after a few minutes returned.

"Hinata-sama says that she will meet you at the gates. Which ones shall I inform her of?"

"Tell her the west gate." Naruto nodded "Thank you."

With that he and Jiraiya turned and went towards the Inazuka compound where the sound of howling was soon heard. Rapping on the gate Kiba answered it with a smirk.

"What do you want dope?" he snorted.

"I'm here to inform you that you're coming with me on a mission." Naruto stated "Pack for a month and meet us at the west gate."

"Fine." Kiba snorted as he shut the gate. Shrugging Naruto looked at Jiraiya who only shook his head at the actions before heading with Naruto for the gate. It only took the two others five minutes to arrive where Naruto soon gave them the mission.

"So we just track her down and get her to come back? Easiest A rank ever." Kiba chuckled.

"Don't get full of yourself." Jiraiya replied "We are bound to run into trouble."

Kiba only snorted as they left, with Naruto having them move in a diamond formation with Kiba taking the lead, himself and Jiraiya on the sides and Hianta bringing up the rear. They spent most of the morning and early afternoon travelling before they reached a large town and Naruto told them that they would be staying here.

"Why?" Kiba asked "There's still plenty of daylight."

"Two reasons. First is that we don't know where we are going exactly. This is a crossroads town, meaning that no matter which way we need to go we can do so from here. Second is that I am sure that Jiraiya has informants in town that he wants to meet up with and help point us in the right direction." Naruto explained as Kiba growled at the blonde for his simple explanation.

"Naruto is right." Jiraiya nodded "Tsunade travels a lot so I need to confer with some contacts to get a general read on her. And we might as well stay in relative comfort tonight instead of camping if we can avoid it."

Kiba only huffed as they walked further into the town. After a few moments Naruto nodded towards a hotel that they could stay at. As they approached Naruto noted that Jiraiya and Kiba had stopped and were staring at a very beautiful woman.

"Oh geez." Naruto sighed.

"Man she's hot!" Kiba exclaimed.

"You are way to young for such a lady kid." Jiraiya chided "I'm a different story however."

Before Naruto could make a comment to them about this whole thing the woman winked at them and Naruto knew that no matter what he said they wouldn't listen now.

"She winked at me!" Kiba exclaimed.

"No way, she winked at me!" Jiraiya exclaimed as he turned and handed Naruto some money "For the hotel room, get two." Before anything else could be said Jiraiya ran off and was soon leaving with the woman.

"Pathetic." Naruto sighed as he grabbed Kiba and walked into the hotel, getting two rooms. There was a brief dispute about the rooming situation but in the end Naruto silenced the complaints, but literally knocking Kiba out and tossing him into the room he would be sharing with Jiraiya. Once he and Hinata were situated Naruto closed his eyes and started meditating while Hinata read over one of the scrolls her mother had left her. It wasn't long before Naruto's eyes opened at the knock on the door. Frowning he motioned for Hinata to leave the room through the window while he had a clone open the door, while he went into the blindspot between the door and the clone, ready to strike if it was an enemy. As the door opened Naruto saw two men standing there, both wearing headbands from a shinobi village, and both slashed to show that they were rouges.

"Naruto Uzumaki. Come with us." the shorter of the two said, his Konaha headband showing who he really was.

"Or fight and we can make this fun." The other laughed as he gripped the bandaged sword on his back and grinned his shark grin.

"Or I fight and win." the clone said as the two rouges smirked. Naruto simply struck, having the clone disperse as he did, giving him some cover as he slashed, pushing the two out into the hallway where the cramped area would give him some advantage.

"Gaki is good." the swordsman laughed as he leveled his sword "I'm looking forward to this."

"Don't underestimate him." the other man warned and Naruto soon recognized the man.

"Itachi Uchiha." Naruto stated as he stared at the rouge Konaha nin "Never thought I'd get to cross blades with both Uchiha brothers."

This earned a blink from Itachi as he then smirked and nodded to the other man to deal with the blonde. The blue skinned man chuckled as he swung down the massive bandaged blade, preparing to take down Naruto before he could resist. What he didn't count for was the fact that Naruto was far faster then he had expected and he was in his zone before he realized it. Naruto's blade was drawn and flashing towards his opponent who leapt back to avoid the strike and swung his blade down as he did. Naruto rolled back, avoiding the massive blade before striking. Bouncing off the walls and ceiling Naruto took the fight to the swordsman who reacted to the strikes by dodging them and blocking them with the flat of his massive blade. Naruto soon realized that he was up against a master swordsman, someone on par with his mother and he knew that he wasn't going to win with just some fancy techniques. Skidding back down the hall as he dodged a swing from the massive blade Naruto started channeling his chakra into the blade, swinging it towards his opponent.

"Kaze no katta!" Naruto shouted as he swung his katana at his opponent who only held his blade up towards the wind and started chuckling, setting Naruto on edge as he prepared for whatever might happen. Naruto blinked in shock as he saw the attack get absorbed by the blade and he instantly knew that he was in trouble.

"You're out of luck gaki." the man laughed "Samehada devours chakra."

"Kisame, stop playing around." Itachi stated "If this goes on much longer Jiraiya might return."

Now Naruto blinked at this and instantly knew that all he had to do was run out the clock. Smirking he sheathed his blade, preparing to use battojutsu against Kisame.

"Battojutsu?" Kisame asked with a grin "Think that's going to work on one of the former Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shu?"

"Worked on Zabuza." Naruto replied with a grin of his own "Crippled him with it so he would never have been a shinobi or a swordsman without a very skilled medic."

Now Kisame blinked at Naruto's boast before grinning even wider.

"So you took down Zabuza, but I'm leagues above him." Kisame laughed.

"Yet you both make the same mistake." Naruto replied as he waited for the stalemate to end. In the end they both moved at the same time both striking, with Zabuza bringing Samehada up to his right side to guard against the attack. What he didn't realize until it was too late was that Naruto had struck with the sheathe first and was now spinning as he drew his katana, slashing his chest, leaving a deep wound that caused the missing nin to leap away, blood pouring from the wound.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Battojutsu Soryusen Ikazuchi(Twin Dragon Flash Thunder)!" Naruto grinned as he saw Kisame gripping Samehada tightly. Then his eyes widened as he saw that the wound was healing itself.

"Not too bad gaki." Kisame grunted "Been a long time since someone manage to actually wound me."

"How?" Naruto asked "That should have been lethal."

"It was. But Samehada can heal me." Kisame replied with a grin as he showed that the giant sword had partially fused with him.

"Well shit." Naruto cursed "No wonder you said you're better then Zabuza. With a sword like that I can believe it."

"Enough. Capture him Kisame, we've wasted enough time."

"Easier said then done." Kisame told his partner "This kid is really good."

"Plus the fight hasn't started yet." Naruto stated, causing the two to look at him "I'm just stalling."

Before either of the two nuke-nin could make a move Naruto pointed behind them where Jiraiya was now standing holding the body of the woman that had been used to distract him. Standing beside him was Hinata who had a fierce look in her eyes.

"I'd call it a day boys." Jiraiya warned "Otherwise things won't go so well for you."

"Heh. We can take you." Kisame replied with a grin.

"No Kisame, we're leaving." Itachi stated calmly, as Kisame gave him a confused look "If both of us were to face Jiraiya then we might win. However with Naruto facing us as well, and with most of his abilities unknown to us it is wiser to retreat for now."

"Hmph, fine." Kisame snorted as he looked at Naruto and grinned "You got lucky today gaki. Next time I'll destroy you."

"Next time I'll be stronger." Naruto replied with a grin of his own as Itachi and Kisame took off at a run, leaping over him and straight out a window before Jiraiya could do anything.

"Everyone ok?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes." Hinata nodded.

"Kiba is knocked out at the moment, but I did that." Naruto noted "And I am ok, but concerned as to why I just had two S class missing nin fighting me."

"Ok... I can explain that." Jiraiya sighed as Naruto nodded towards his room. Jiraiya nodded and walked over there while Naruto asked Hinata to keep watch to make sure that the two didn't double back and try anything funny. Soon the two were sitting in the room with Naruto staring at Jiraiya waiting for him to explain.

"Those two, they are part of a group known as the Akatsuki. I don't know what their true goal is, but they are interested in the jinchuruki. All of them are S rank, and they are usually paired off. Orochimaru was once a member of this group, so it's how I learned about them." Jiraiya began.

"Orochimaru worked with other people before he made Otogakure?" Naruto stated in shock.

"It was more to get close to Itachi and try to take the Sharingan." Jiraiya explained.

"But now he has Sasuke marked and will likely try to take him later." Naruto nodded "Let's stay on topic, just how many of those maniacs are there?"

"Nine to my knowledge. I've only gathered intel on a handful of them so I can't tell you everything. All I know is this, they started small, doing some cloak and dagger work but they are starting to move into their true plan. I have my spies keeping an eye out for them and to try and figure out what they want but I'm not even entirely sure that they will have even a slight chance of success." Jiraiya explained. Naruto frowned as he leaned against the wall processing everything.

"Do you think that they can capture all the jinchuruki?" Naruto asked.

"Most likely they can. All of them are S rank rouges, and from what I've gathered they always work in pairs. Two S rank's against one jinchurki doesn't look good for that jinchuruki as you can probably tell."

"Yeah. Itachi didn't even fight and Kisame managed to heal the only real wound I managed to inflict on him." Naruto sighed. There was a silence for a moment before Jiraiya stood up and turne to leave.

"Get some rest. We will leave tomorrow." Jiraiya promised as he walked out of the room and Hinata walked back in, looking at Naruto with concern.

"Are you alright Naruto-kun?" she asked as she saw him shaking, then a low laugh finally escaped his throat.

"No... But I have something to aim for now." Naruto chuckled "Next time... I won't lose."

Hinata only smiled at Naruto as she saw that he had turned a shocking defeat into something positive and knew that this was going to help push him even further on his path to be Hokage.


	20. Tsunade

_AN* Hello again everyone, I apologize for the delay, but we are having internet problems at the motel and it makes things very difficult for updating. Have to walk over to the library and do this before I go to work. Now I warn you that this one doesnt have much in the way of action, and is more a build up chapter, setting the stage for other parts and also foreshadowing future events. Now let's answer the reviews._

_David Archangel: Actually it can. I had to double check this but it can heal the owner by partially fusing with them. If I remember correctly Kisame used this against Bee in the canon._

_Chewie Cookies: Ok, for the first two that is my bad, but the daimyo one is actually a typo. Fingers moving faster than they should and I mess up. Now as for the Konaha thing, I just don't have the patience to go back and make sure that I fixed everything(since I have had proof that the the find and replace option are not infalliable) so I just left it alone. In later works I have fixed it, but for this I am just leaving well enough alone. And as for the Danzo thing, I felt that while he wasn't a good guy he was never a villian, he had more potential as an anti-hero, and I felt that showing him like this in this fic would help make things easier for writing him in later on._

_Jose19: In reply to all of your reviews at once, all of the worlds did give him a better foundation, and help temper him out, as you would notice as the chapters went. He spent a great deal of time in each world and did work on his shinobi skills there, with a better understanding now that the seals were off of him. He picked up new skills in each world and also had a chance to grow up and learn more about himself and the world as he did. That is how it helped him in the long run._

_Jpug: Everything in good time._

_Guest: I will consider this, but this is more of an action story than a comedy, but I might find a point to add this in, or make a reference to it._

_Lord Blood: That was for comedy purposes only. None of them were forbidden, but Naruto failing at the Bunshin jutsu made it funnier._

_Dracoessa: Ask and you will recieve._

_Ok, that's all for now folks, read and review._

Tsunade

The next day they were off, heading for one of the largest towns in Hi no Kuni, where Tsunade was supposed to be heading. There was a silence over all of them as they went, with Kiba angry about how Naruto had treated him earlier, Hinata worrying about Naruto, Jiraiya about this mission and why he had such a bad feeling, and Naruto was running through training possibilities in his mind but one thing kept coming back to him, that he needed to finish what he had started. They reached the town in the middle of the afternoon and Naruto decided it was time to give out the orders.

"Alright, according to Jiraiya's informants Tsunade should be here for the next few days. She is a terrible gambler so start by checking the casinos and gambling dens. If they haven't turned up anything then check with the bars. I'm going to go get us the hotel room and then check around at the bars and see if they have seen her." Naruto ordered. Kiba only glared at Naruto before walking off while Hinata nodded before going in the opposite direction of Kiba. Naruto and Jiraiya were soon getting the hotel rooms and then they were heading off to talk to the various bars around the edges of the town. As they walked Jiraiya and Naruto discussed more training.

"Well I could teach you the Rasengan. It is your right to learn it since you dad made it." Jiraiya offered.

"That's fine." Naruto nodded "We can start tomorrow, can I do this and still search for Tsunade?"

"Sure. You can even have a clone searching while you train." Jiraiya shrugged as he stopped by a store and bought several balloons that hadn't been inflated yet and several dozen rubber balls "You'll need these for your training."

Naruto only stared at the old pervert before shrugging and taking them as they walked. By nightfall they all met back up at the hotel and called it a night.

The next morning Naruto created his clone to help search for Tsunade and started working on the Rasengan. The first stage took him some time to get down, but after some time Naruto managed to figure out how to make the water balloon pop, which he then started on the second step, happy Jiraiya had explained all the steps to him before he had left. That night the team returned and said that they had failed to find Tsunade again.

"This could be bad." Jiraiya muttered "Tsunade usually doesn't stay around a single place for too long."

"So what do we do if she leaves?" Kiba asked.

"We let Jiraiya consult his network again and we follow her." Naruto sighed.

"But we only have one month." Hinata reminded him.

"I know." Naruto sighed "If we run out of time then we go back to the village and get an extension on the mission."

"Alright. Enough chit chat. Let's get some rest and we can search again tomorrow." Jiraiya stated as he looked at Naruto "And how's the training going?"

"Just finished the second step, but my chakra is drained from it. This is harder than I thought." Naruto sighed.

"Never said it would be easy." Jiraiya chuckled as he and Kiba left the room. The next day the four of them were out searching the city, with Naruto joining them himself this time while working on the last step, keeping a regular balloon from popping while doing the technique. Naruto and Hinata worked together for the whole day searching around the different casinos and in the end found nothing. Sighing Naruto nodded towards a bar.

"Let's get something to drink." he sighed. Hinata nodded her agreement as they walked in and Naruto nearly face palmed at the woman he saw sitting at one of the tables.

"Is that her?" Hinata asked when she saw Tsunade as well.

"Yep. Go get the others please." Naruto sighed as he walked in, and heading straight for Tsunade. Hinata turned and left right away, knowing that the others would want to get here quickly.

"Tsunade." Naruto nodded as he stopped by her table, where the woman glared at him and her assistant looked at him curiously.

"Who're you gaki?" Tsunade growled.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto nodded as he took a seat across from her "I was sent by the Hokage to find you."

"Why? I want nothing more to do with the village." Tsunade spat.

"He needs you." Naruto replied "Orochimaru attacked the village and has put us in a bind due to something he left behind. Jiji can handle it, but he needs you back in the village."

"Jiji?" her assistant giggled.

"What does he need me for exactly?" Tsunade remarked as she stared at the boy and realized he looked like the spitting image of Minato.

"To be his replacement." Naruto sighed "He is going to have to sacrifice himself to stop this threat and he wants you to"

"NO!" Tsunade spat as she glared at him "I will not become Hokage of that village!"

"And why not?" Naruto asked "To become Hokage is almost every shinobi's dream."

"Because only a fool wants that position."

"Then I am a fool." Naruto replied as he met her gaze "I will become Hokage, just like my father before me."

"Father?" her assistant asked with a frown.

"Minato Namikaze." Naruto stated "My dad died to defend the village, Jiji is about to do the same, and he asked for you to take over."

"Only a fool with a deathwish takes that title." Tsunade retorted.

"So your grandfather had a deathwish?" Naruto asked and saw her glare intensify "Tsunade, pardon my language here, but you are being a pahtetic little shit." Tsunade blinked at this and glared at Naruto even more before he continued "You ran away from the village because you lost some precious people, I lived in that village with no one except Jiji to care for me for most of my life. So who's sob story is worse?"

Now Tsunade was almost seeing red before a memory clicked into place and she really stared at him.

"You're Kushina's brat." she said, mostly to herself while her assistant blinked at this.

"Kushina?" she asked.

"Kushina Uzumaki. Now I remember, she and Minato got married, she sent me a letter years ago about being pregnant." Tsunade nodded before her gaze hardened again "Wait, you were alone. What happened to her?"

"Got knocked halfway across Hi no Kuni by the Kyubi." Naruto replied "Lost her memories. She only just recently came back."

"Oh..." her assistant gasped.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I got your name." Naruto remarked looking at the young woman next to Tsunade.

"Oh, I'm Shizune. Tsunade-sama's apprentice." she smiled.

"Nice to meet you." Naruto nodded before turning his gaze back to Tsunade "And how do you know my mother?"

"I was her jonin instructor." Tsunade sighed "Back before I left the village, her team was the only genin team that I took."

Before Naruto could ask any more questions Jiraiya and the rest of his team walked in and made their way over to the table.

"Tsunade." Jiraiya nodded as he pulled up a chair.

"Jiraiya. The gaki here told me why you are all here." Tsunade stated as she looked at the old pervert "I told him no."

"And I still say you're acting like a spoild child." Naruto replied, shocking Hinata and Kiba with how he was talking to a legendary shinobi.

"Tsunade." Jiraiya sighed "At least let me explain why he needs you to come back."

"I know that. He's going to get himself killed and wants me to take over." Tsunade spat.

"He's going to send the Shodai and Nidaime Hokages back to the afterlife." Jiraiya stated and watched her blink in shock "Orochimaru revived them in hopes that he could use them to kill sensei. He failed and now we have them trapped but for how long is questionable. The only way to stop them is to either make Orochimaru perform the seals to release them, or for someone to summon Shinigami and have their souls eaten by him."

Naruto's frown softened as he saw the emotions in Tsunade's eyes and he realized that this act she put on was to hide all the hurt and pain that she had been through. They all sat there in silence for a few moments before Tsunade finally spoke.

"Jiraiya, you know how much it hurts for me to go back."

"I know. If there was another option we'd take it." Jiraiya stated "But the only other two people that are qualified are already managing vital aspects of the village."

"Who?" Kiba asked confused.

"Jiraiya for one." Naruto replied "But he has his spy network to manage and can't trust someone else to do that."

"And Danzo." Jiraiya stated "But he's still managing ROOT."

"What's ROOT?" Kiba asked.

"Top secret." Jiraiya replied "If I tell you, I have to kill you."

Naruto smirked at this and looked at Tsunade who was trying to find a way to say no, but he knew that they had her. After a few more moments Tsunade finally spoke.

"I really don't want to do this, but I can't say no." Tsunade sighed "I'll do it for sensei, since he is doing this to help the souls of my family."

"Thank you." Jiriaya nodded as he stood up "We can leave tomorrow if you like."

"Yeah." Tsunade sighed as grabbed her cup and downed the saki. The others soon left but Naruto motioned for more saki to be brought over and poured himself a cup too.

"To doing the right thing, even though it hurts." Naruto toasted.

"Had to do that?" Tsunade asked.

"Yeah. I found happiness three different times and each time I gave it up to keep moving. In the end I went back to the village. The villagers may despise my very existance, but in the end it is still my home, and I will fight to defend it." Naruto nodded as he downed his drink.

"Must be tough." Shizune noted.

"It can be. But I have people that love me. And I don't intend to back down. I will be Hokage, so just keep that seat warm for me until I'm ready." Naruto grinned. Tsunade actually smiled at that and soon started to laugh when she realized why they had sent him.

"Now I know why you're here. You're a lot like Dan and my little brother." Tsunade sighed.

"I guess. If they wanted to be Hokage they can't be all that bad." Naruto chuckled as Tsunade smiled. After a few more drinks Shizune left with the pig she carried and after another hour of drinking Naruto helped Tsunade back to her hotel room before heading back to his. The next day they were on their way and Naruto was talking with Tsunade about his mother.

"I actually had all three of your mothers." Tsunade remarked as she looked at Hinata and Kiba.

"Really?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah. Kushina and Tsume used to fight all the time. Two hotheads." Tsunade sighed "Honoka often had to calm them down before they pissed me off."

"Sounds a lot like you two." Jiraiya laughed.

"We don't fight." Naruto replied.

"Oh and what do we do?" Kiba asked with a growl.

"I win." Naruto shrugged "Fighting makes it seem like you had a chance."

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Kiba roared as he tried to hit Naruto, only for the blonde to twist around him and take his back before make the Rasengan and sending him flying down the street.

"Case and point." Naruto chuckled as Jiraiya and Hinata only shook their head at this.

"You taught him the Rasengan?" Tsunade asked with a frown "You realize that just because his father created it doesn't mean he can use it."

"Maybe, but he has gotten pretty far. Mastered the first two steps really fast and he's working on the last step now." Jiraiya remarked.

"And how's that going for you?" Tsunade asked with a smirk.

"Almost got it. It doesn't pop but it isn't smooth just yet." Naruto explained as he took out a balloon and showed them. Indeed the balloon didn't pop but it was lumpy, showing that he didn't have it down just yet.

"Just keep practicing, you'll get it." Jiraiya replied as they walked and stopped when the caught up to Kiba who was dazed and annoyed. It took them the rest of they day to get back to the village and they were soon in the Hokage's office where Sarutobi was waiting for them.

"Well done Naruto." Sarutobi chuckled "You still have a almost two weeks left to complete the mission."

"Figured speed was important." Naruto replied.

"That it is." Sarutobi nodded "Tsunade, I trust that they explained why I asked for you to be here."

"They did." Tsunade sighed "I don't think that this is a good idea, having me take over. But if it's your last wish I can't really say no."

"Thank you." Sarutobi nodded "I will help you get settled in over the next week and help you understand everything that needs to be done. After that I will take care of our problem." he paused then to look at Naruto "Now head down to the mission hall and fill out the report Naruto. Jiraiya help him with this so he knows the proper procedure."

"Alright." Jiraiya nodded as Naruto and his team went down with the voucher. Once Jiraiya finished explaining the different things that would need to be included, from the general timeline to the more important details as to where they found Tsunade and their encounter with the Akatsuki. This last detail was important as it would allow them to catalouge when the problem was first brought to their attention. Once finished Naruto turned it in and they recieved their pay before Naurto dismissed his team and he went home.

"I'm home!" Naruto shouted as he walked in the front door.

"You're back early!" Kushina called from the kitchen.

"Had an easier time finding Tsunade then we thought. You never told me that she was your sensei." Naruto remarked as he entered the kitchen.

"It didn't seem important." Kushina replied as there was a knock on the door and she frowned. Walking to the door she opened it to reveal both Jiraiya and Tsunade standing there.

"Figured you'd like to see her." Jiraiya replied with a grin as they walked in, soon the four were sitting at the kitchen table, discussing the past.

"So what was your team like Jiraiya?" Naruto asked.

"Interesting to say the least." Jiraiya sighed "I had Minato of course, everyone always remembers him. He was a natural genius, took to jutsu like a fish to water. Then there was Negi Yagami. He was a good kid, didn't have a lot of skill in ninjutsu, but he excelled in taijutsu and weapons. He was a good kid, it was a shame when he died during the war. He died protecting some of his comrades from a battalion of Iwagakure jonin. Took out all but three of the ten that came after him. Then there was Misa Uzumaki." Jiraiya paused here and shook his head, remembering something particularly sad "She was like you Naruto, she had the Kyubi sealed in her."

"WHAT?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yeah." Kushina sighed "She was my sister, your aunt. We both came here when we were young because we had the best potential to control the Kyubi, but she had a stronger affinity for it then me so she had the Kyubi sealed in her when Mito Uzumaki, a distant relative, died."

"What happened to her?" Naruto asked.

"She died." Tsunade replied "I read the report myself, it says that when she gave birth something went wrong with the seal and she was killed, along with her husband and newborn child."

"Geez..." Naruto sighed "So when she died the Kyubi ran wild?"

"Most likely." Jiraiya replied "Though it was a shame she died, she was a really kind woman. Even when growing up she was more concerned about others than herself. For example your dad grew up an orphan so he had a limited income to work with so he ate mostly instant ramen." This earned a laugh from Naruto who loved the similarity between himself and his father "When Misa found out she went balistic and started cooking for him, then she dragged Kushina into the mix and finally I stepped in to save him from Misa's terrible cooking."

"Was it really that bad?" Naruto asked as he finally stopped laughing.

"Misa could burn water." Kushina laughed "She had no talent in the kitchen."

The four of them sat there talking and laughing for the rest of the day, enjoying the simple conversation that they were sharing.


	21. A New Revolution

_AN* And I am back. Good god this one took a long time, mainly because I had to make sure a lot of the dialogue was correct to which I owe my thanks to those that did the translation work on Mangadoom dot com. And for the record I cut this chapter in half, the other half is almost done so it shouldn't be nearly as long of a gap. Anyways on to the reviews._

_Duesal10: Glad you think so._

_LordXeenTheGreat: I'm just going to do all of your reviews at once. I will consider doing the oneshot since it does have hilarity promise, I thought Kenshin would be a good teacher for Naruto as well, the idea is from a challenge that I accepted if you want to look into that for other good stories based on the same challenge, and I am glad you like the changes I made, they were really needed. Thanks for the reviews._

_missourijack: I will say this, you have the right idea with the next few chapters. This next arc that is starting now is the return journeys to show what he needs to finish up, and to also show more of what had happened while he was in each world. And I don't mind the ramblings, they make for excellent reviews._

_Anon2: I'm sorry, but I actually haven't read that one yet. I have heard good things about it and it is on my to read list, but at this time I just haven't been able to yet. And when I started this fic I went with other manga that I knew and enjoyed and thought that Naruto could get something useful out of each one. So my apologies about not adding those in but feel free to take the challenge yourself and do something like that, I'd read it._

_Dracoessa: Ok, to start the family moment had more than just the happy feels to it, there was some foreshadowing there if you can catch it. Also I have plenty planned for Sasuke and Sakura, just be patient. And as for Danzo, in this one I decided to take a different take on him. In the canon he is not really that evil, more of a man who has seen too much darkness and is doing whatever it takes to bring about peace. So in this I decided to make him more of a good guy that will still deal in the shadows at times. Sorry if this upsets you but I already have something horrible planned for him in a different story._

_Chewie Cookies: Thank you good sir. I hope you enjoy this chapter._

_SPark681: Good to know you approve. The relationship does have some important parts that will come into play later on._

_Senjuto: I know already. Geez, when I wrote this I was getting bitched at about it being the way i am currently spelling it. I am leaving it the way it is because I don't have the patience to go back and make sure that it is all spelled correctly. Live with it._

_BruddaJocka: Ok, at the time I first wrote that chapter I was stuck on a cliche kick. Sorry if that upsets you but I felt that it was necessary. And I am currently making ways of using that to make Naruto stronger so please be patient._

_Ok, now that that is finished let's get on to the real reason you are all here._

A New Revolution

Naruto stood dressed in black with every other shinobi in the village. It had been a week since he had brought back Tsunade and he stood there with the others, attending the funeral for the Sandaime Hokage, Hizuren Sarutobi. The old shinobi had performed the jutsu to summon Shinigami and had given his soul to trap the two souls of the previous Hokages. Once this was completed Tsunade had been named Hokage and then the funeral. Now Naruto stood there, laying his flower down on the grave as he said his final goodbye to the old shinobi that had helped take care of him as much as he had been able to during his youth. As he walked away Naruto realized that there was going to be no way that he could avoid what he had to do next. If he wanted to survive he was going to have to do this. Sighing he walked into Tsunade's office and looked at the older woman.

"Tsunade, I need some time off." he stated.

Tsunade blinked at this before speaking "For?"

"A training trip. I don't know for how long I'll be gone but I need to find my former masters and finish what I started." Naruto explained.

"You're going to use that jutsu again." Tsunade nodded "I can't tell you no in this matter, for two reasons. One is that you are within your right to leave for a training journey and with the Akatsuki hunting you the extra training will be beneficial."

"And the other?" Naruto asked.

"Sarutobi-sensei did some research into this technique and found out something interesting. It can only be used three times by one person. The first time is an accident, the second is for need, and the third is to repay."

"Ok... The first time was an accident." Naruto nodded "And this is for need to get stronger. But repayment?"

"It turns out that this technique was only used by one other person, my grandfather. According to his journal it says that the third trip is to aid those that have helped you. You will feel the call to go when it is time to repay them. It could take weeks, months or even years before it comes." Tsuande explained.

"Alright. So I have your permission to leave?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, but take someone with you. I am sure that these places can be dangerous and I would like you to come back alive." Tsunade stated.

"Ok. I'll take Hinata-chan with me. Besides some of my friends in the other worlds will want to meet her." Naruto smiled as he turned to leave.

"If you aren't back before nightfall I will have you marked down for a training journey." Tsunade sighed as the blonde left and she resumed the paperwork. Naruto was soon in the backyard of his home with Hinata as he started flashing through the handsigns.

"Now hold on tight, I don't want to get seperated." Naruto warned as he finished and the doorway opened again.

"Ok Naruto-kun." Hinata nodded as they entered. Soon Naruto and Hianta were floating through the expanse and Naruto was picking out images of places that he recognized from Japan. After a few moments they landed in an alleyway and Naruto's eyes started wandering to see if there was any danger. Once he was certain that they hadn't landed in the middle of a battle he nodded to Hinata and they started walking. As they left the alley Naruto realized that they weren't in Kyoto and he had no idea where they were.

"Lost?" Hinata asked when she saw Naruto's face.

"A little. I never really went too far from Kyoto so I have no clue where we are." Naruto admitted as he stopped and looked at a newspaper "Tokyo..." Naruto muttered as he shrugged and and started walking again.

"So what's the plan Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

"I need to find Kenshin-sensei. Odds are that if the war is over he will be well known and someone that practices kenjutsu might have an idea where I can find him." Naruto replied as he walked. For close to an hour he walked until he finally found a dojo.

"Kamiya Kasshin-ryu." Naruto read as he opened the door and found a boy, around Konahamaru's age walking towards them with a shinai on his back.

"Can I help you?" he asked with a frown.

"Perhaps. I'm looking for someone and I was hoping you might be able to point me in the right direction." Naruto stated.

"Shouldn't you go to the police." he snorted.

"I'd rather not." Naruto sighed "Look could you help me or not kid."

"KID?!" he shouted "My name is Myōjin Yahiko, Tokyo Samurai!"

"I'm sorry Than Yahiko-san." Hinata interrrupted "But my boyfriend is just trying to find someone, would you please help us."

Yahiko looked at Hianta and blushed a bit before grunting and saying "Fine, who're you looking for?"

"His name is Himura Kenshin." Naruto stated "I was wondering if you could tell me where he is?"

Yahiko jumped at this and was soon a step back with his shinai drawn.

"What do you want with Kenshin?! Are you with Shishio?!" he shouted.

"Shishio?" Naruto asked looking at Hinata confused "Look, it's clear you know him, will you just tell me where I can find him?"

"No way!" Yahiko shouted "You've got to be with Shishio, why else would you be wearing a katana in public?!"

"Ugh, this is getting nowhere fast." Naruto sighed as he slipped into a fighting stance "I'll just beat it out of him."

"Naruto-kun, he's only a child." Hinata argued.

"No, he's samurai." Naruto replied as he faced Yahiko "A samurai always has his pride, and even if he is young, I won't spit on his."

"Yahiko, what's going on?!" a woman shouted as she walked out of the dojo and saw the scene. Before she could protest anymore Naruto moved forward so fast that no one saw him move and Yahiko was on the ground as Naruto stood over him with the sheath against his throat.

"Word of advice Yahiko-san, never underestimate a practioner of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu." Naruto stated "So where is Kenshin-sensei?"

"Sensei..." the woman gasped "You know Kenshin?"

"He trained me. Taught me all I knew during the Bakumatsu." Naruto replied "I came to find him."

"He trained you?!" Yahiko shouted "He refused to teach me but taught you?!"

"It was a long time ago." Naruto replied calmly as he looked at the woman "Where is he?"

"He left. He is heading for Kyoto. Come inside and I will explain everything to you." she said.

"Thank you." Naruto nodded as he helped Yahiko up and they all went inside. There was a silence for several minutes before the woman spoke.

"My name is Kamiya Kaoru, and Himura Kenshin has been staying here for several months now." she began. She then went on to explain all that occured while he was there, from his vow to never kill again and the taking of a sakabato, to all of the fights he had, and finally to the issue with Shishio Makoto and his plan to overthrow the government.

"Geez. Leave for a few years and things go to shit." Naruto sighed as he stood up "Now that I know where he's going I'll track him down. Thank you Karou-dono."

"You never gave us your names." Kaoru stated.

"Oh right." Naruto chuckled "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, I was known as Hitokiri Kitsune during the Bakumatsu, and this is my girlfriend, Hianta Hyuga."

"Why is she with you?" Yahiko asked.

"My superiours didn't want me on my own." Naruto replied as he and Hinata left, moving as quickly as they could, taking to the rooftops and moving at a pace that only an experienced shinobi would have been able to keep up.

"So are we going directly to Kyoto?" Hinata asked.

"No. Knowing Kenshin-sensei he will likely be taking an older road, so we take the Meiji Toukai way. We keep to the forests and we might stand a chance of catching him." Naruto replied as they took off. For the rest of that day they moved, managing to slowly catch up to the now rurouni that his master had become. That night they camped in the woods and the next day they were on their way again. By noon Naruto stopped when he spotted footprints and went down to the ground where he examined them.

"A man and a young girl..." he mused "I doubt it's Kenshin, he would have stuck to the road, and he was alone from what we were told."

"True, but whoever it is, they did come from the direction of the road, so perhaps they may have seen him." Hinata offered.

"Worth checking." Naruto nodded as they started to follow the trail. A few hours later he stopped when he saw the grave of a person and his gaze hardened. Moving over to it he noted that there were tracks coming from a small village, a single man heavily wounded, likely carrying a heavy burden.

"He collapsed here..." Naruto muttered "And that was when those two came across him, and it looks like a child he was carrying. They buried him and are heading back to the village."

"Was the child captured?" Hinata asked.

"No... An enemy wouldn't have buried the body. There must be something in that village that they want to get or save. Let's go and help." Naruto nodded as they took off at a run. They soon arrived at the village and Naruto's face split in a grin as he saw the man fighting off dozens of men.

"Kenshin." Naruto grinned as he spotted two men heading for his back. Leaping into the air Naruto struck, his blade drawn in the blink of an eye as he landed behind Kenshin and let the two heads fall to the ground.

"You're getting sloppy Kenshin-sensei." Naruto chuckled as he faced the man that had taught him so much "It's good to see you again."

"Naruto-kun!" Kenshin exclaimed as he saw him.

"Hey! What are you wasting time here for?" another man said as he walked towards them with another girl and a young boy as Hinata came from the other side.

"Saito..." Naruto chuckled as he gripped his katana and faced the Wolf of Mibu "How long has it been now?"

"Hitokiri Kitsune." Saito nodded "It has been about fifteen years since I last saw you, and unlike your sensei you seem to still kill."

"What are you doing here?" Kenshin asked.

"My job." Saito replied "One of my men informed me that Shisiho was here. Since I still had some time before the subjugation forces reached Kyoto, I decided to come on foot. However I didn't know the man's present whereabouts."

"You mean the boy's brother was a police spy?" Kenshin asked.

"Boy?" Saito asked as he looked over at the boy with the unnamed young woman "I see. Mishima Eiichirou was originally from Shingetsu. That's why I sent him, so he could infiltrate the village without raising suspicion. Probably he was discovered and tried to protect his family... Idiot. He should have waited for my arrival"

"How can you talk like that about one of your own dead men?!" the girl shouted.

"Hey, who is this... Weasel Girl?" Saito asked. This earned a chuckle from Naruto as he looked at her as well and could see why Saito would say that.

"I"LL KILL YOU! KILL YOU!" She shouted as she took out several kunai while Kenshin restrained her.

"Don't let him get to you." Naruto chuckled "The Wolf has a thing for messing with people's minds."

"More importantly. We should take them down, and mourn for them." Kenshin added as he nodded towards the two dead parents that were hanging from a wooden structure. Naruto nodded and moved towards the structure when he was interrupted.

"WAIT!" someone shouted. Naruto paused and looked over his sholder at the now assembling villagers.

"You can't cut them down." the village elder stated "If you do Senkaku will be angry, and we are helpless before him. Until Senkaku gives permission, we will leave them as they are.

"What are you saying?!" the girl shouted "They were from your village! And you're still going to obey Senkaku after this?!"

"If we defy Senkaku it means death. If we obey we live. In order to not make things worse for the village, you outsiders and the Mishima boy must leave. Eiji, you understand?" the elder explained.

"You..." the girl growled, just as Saito placed a hand on her head.

"Don't be angry. There aren't many people brave enough to place their life on the line to protect their honor and dignity as human beings." Saito paused to look at the villagers as he finished "Just surviving as an animal, you don't need honor and dignity."

This earned various mutters from the people, and in the end the elder said that they bodies would remain. Now Naruto turned and drew his guns, shooting the ropes that held their bodies and letting them drop to the ground.

"You people sicken me." Naruto spat as he looked at them "A bunch of sheep need not worry what we humans do."

"The fate of this village, is the fate of all of Japan in Shishio's new era." Kenshin remarked to Saito "They will seek only to survive, losing all honor and dignity."

Naruto frowned at this as he ran an eye over the village again, taking it all in so he would understand what was at stake if Kenshin failed.

"Saito, did the government really abandon this village?" Kenshin asked.

"Not just this one, more than ten have been abandoned to Shishio. The police recovering them are already in retreat." Saito explained.

"I don't really know what's going on, but if the police can't do it why don't you use the army?" the girl asked.

"Idiot. It's only been half a year since the southwest war. If the army is mobilized again it will show our unrest to foreign powers." Saito retorted.

"How can you think of that at a time like this?!" she shouted at him.

"Even so, we would not get permission to use the army in the first place." Saito stated.

"Why not?" Naruto asked with a frown "It seems like that may be the only solution."

"Because no one wants to share Governor Okubo's fate." Saito replied.

"What now?!" Naruto exclaimed "They killed him?!"

"Yes, on May fourteenth." Kenshin nodded.

"Damn. No wonder the government isn't using the army. It's difficult to stop an assassin unless you are employing those that think like one. Meaning that they will more than likely sit back and wait for someone else to fix this mess." Naruto mused "That sound about right Hinata-chan?"

"I would say so." Hinata nodded.

"That is my reasoning as well." Saito nodded.

"Who's somebody?!" the girl shouted afte gritting her teeth "Who's going to save this village?! And who's going to avenge this boy's parents?"

"The village, the police, the army, the government. They are all helpless before Shishio Makoto. That's why people like us are necessary." Saito stated as he looked at Kenshin and Naruto "We've identified the location of Shishio's inn. Will you go there before Kyoto?"

"Yes." Kenshin stated as he turned.

"Yeah." Naruto nodded as well.

"I'm going too!" the girl shouted.

"No, you stay here." Saito replied.

"No way! I'm not letting him get away with this!" she shouted.

"Misao-dono." Kenshin began.

"What?! No one's telling me what I can..."

"Stay here. Stay with Eiji." Kenshin stated.

"Hinata-chan, please stay as well." Naruto asked.

"Of course Naruto-kun." Hinata nodded as she kissed him "Be safe."

"I'll be fine." Naruto nodded as he turned and walked with the two men towards the inn.

"So Naruto-kun, what're you doing here?" Kenshin asked.

"I came to finish what I left incomplete." Naruto replied "The final secret of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu."

"You know that this one does not know it." Kenshin reminded him.

"I do. But you know where I can find the man that does." Naruto replied.

"It has been some time since this one last saw him. He will likely have moved. But this one also needs to learn the final secret." Kenshin nodded.

"What's with the this one stuff?" Naruto asked "You never talked like that before."

"This one has changed much since we parted ways." Kenshin replied.

"And he's gotten weaker from it." Saito remarked.

"Where as my blade has stayed sharp on the flesh of strong opponents." Naruto mused "I can be of assistance then."

"I wouldn't doubt it." Saito remarked.

"So how's that scar I left you Wolf?" Naruto asked as he looked at the taller man "When I got you with that kunai when we met in Kyoto?"

"It started itching a few hours ago. I should have taken that as a warning that you were nearby." Saito smirked as his hand traced a small spot on the left side of his stomach. Naruto only smirked as they walked until they reached the inn and there was a young man standing there, a smile on his face. Naruto immeidatly tensed and every warning bell was going off in his head.

"This guy is dangerous." Naruto hissed.

"Himura Battosai-san and Saito Hajime-san?" he asked "I don't know you however."

"Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto replied "Hitokiri Kitsune."

"AH! Kitsune-san." the young man nodded.

"Be careful, this is the man that killed Okubo." Kenshin warned.

"Knew I was getting nervous for a reason." Naruto muttered.

"Oh no no no, I'm just your guide today. See, I'm not even armed." he said as he waved his arms around to show that there was nothing up his sleeves "Shishio-san is waiting for you inside. Please come in."

There was a moment of tension before Saito spoke.

"We can't start out being this cautious. Let's go."

The three were soon led by the young man through the inn until they stood before Shishio. He was a heavily bandaged man who stared at them with such a predatory gaze that Naruto wanted to strike now and end the threat.

"You're Shishio Makoto?" Kenshin asked.

"Call me Shishio, my rude predecessor." Shishio grinned as he smoked his pipe.

"Don't let it bother you. The rudeness is on both sides." Kenshin replied.

"Hey, are you sure you just want him to stand there? Battosai could kill Shishio in a single leap." Saito remarked.

"Oh it's alright. Himura-san isn't like you Saito-san. He'd never try anything as dishonorable as a surprise attack." he smiled. Saito only smirked in turn as he realized that his ploy had failed.

"Now I know both my predecessor and Saito Hajime-san. But you young man are a mystery to me." Shishio remarked as he stared at Naruto.

"You probably heard about me. I disappeared one day after saying my farewells, never to be seen or heard from again. Hitokiri Kitsune, Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto smirked.

"Ah. The legendary student of Himura Battosai has returned at last. We all assumed that you were dead, or given up the sword." Shishio nodded.

"No, just abroad. Widening my horizons and training to become more than what I already was." Naruto stated.

"Why'd you target this place?" Kenshin asked "You're after the whole of Japan, not one or two small villages."

"Onsen." Shishio replied "They're good for my burnt skin, but I was afraid that the other bathers would see me. So I made them mine."

"You... For this alone you would terroize an entire village?!" Kenshin asked in pure rage.

Shishio only started to laugh as the woman next to him did the same.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You need to learn how to take a joke. You are as serious as the rumors say." Shishio remarked.

"Temper, temper." Saito chided "You take a joke about as well as that Weasel Girl does."

"This village will make a strong military base for dominating the Toukai Region. And I do like the onsen here." Shishio explained.

"Shishio..." Kenshin began before Saito placed a hand on him.

"Take it easy Kenshin-sensei." Naruto replied "Let's hear what he has to say."

"So with this base you intend to exact revenge from the Meiji government for those bandages?" Saito asked.

"Saito Hajime, captain of the third Shinsengumi Unit. You are more like me than Battosai so I thought you might understand me better, but it appears I was wrong." Shishio began "I have no intention of seeking revenge on those who gave me these bandages." he paused here and all three of the swordsman traded looks "Rather I should thank them. They burned many lessons into my flesh that day. Trust and be betrayed. If you are careless you will die. Kill or be killed. And a woman will come to a real man, no matter what he looks like."

"Ok... He may be about to trigger one of the worst things possible for Japan, but some of those ideals are very true." Naruto noted.

"Will you keep it down then?" Saito remarked "It's getting tiring chasing you all over the country."

"All of us survived the Bakumatsu. Why can't you understand?" Shisho sighed "Revere the Emperor, destroy the Bakufu, expel the Barbarians, open the country. These ideas brought about the Bakumatsu, but in the end it was nothing more than a time of chaos that finally came three hundred years after the Sengoku. A time when supporters of the Emperor or the Shogun; Satsuma, Choushuu or Tosa; all raised their flags and fought and killed in the name of justice. Born in these times was a man who would try to rule all under heaven." he paused here and the young man clapped while the woman looked at him with adoration "I was almost assassinated. When my wounds had finally healed and I tried coming out, the Meiji goverment had succeeded in ending the violence. Now they who tried to eleminate me won't send a single troop against me, for fear of looking weak to the western powers. This weak government." In anger Shishio snapped his pipe and continued "I can't leave this country to such a weak government! If the violence has ended I will awaken it! I'll seize control! I'll make this country strong. Justice will be served when this country is mine."

"Again, he is making a valid arguement." Naruto noted "The government is too concerned with appearances and because of that we have the current problem."

Saito only shot him a glare as Kenshin started to speak.

"But for this justice, blood will flow. Blood of those that now live in peace."

"Well, after all in this world the flesh of the weak is food for the strong. But I never could persuade you of that." Shishio replied.

"Shishio Makoto, you cannot shed the blood of others for you own personal justice." Kenshin replied as he started to draw his blade.

"And you Saito-san?" the young man asked.

"I don't like pretty words like he does, but it seems to be my fate to be on the side that brings Shishio down." Saito replied.

"And you?" he asked Naruto.

"My first loyalty has always been to my village and my allies. Kenshin has taught me everything I know about kenjutsu, and through his example I aspired to be the best man that I could be. My blade shall be turned against you, and it will run red upon the flesh of those that would try to destroy the peace." Naruto replied coldly "I will have your head before a month has passed."

"Heh." Shishio chuckled "It doesn't matter if we fight or not. I had hoped to do it poetically in Kyoto, the city of flowers. But if you really want to fight." Shishio paused as he placed his hand on the ground, and hand holding a crescent blade shot up "Then Sengetsu, ruler of Shinkaku will be your opponent!"

Naruto blinked at the giant of a man that stood in front of him and then let his smirk reappear.

"So you're Senkaku, the man who killed Eiji's brother and parents." Kenshin remarked. Senkaku then let out a battle cry as he struck, charging towards them at high speeds. Naruto however had faced faster enemies and leapt over him, taking his back and preparing to strike, just as Senkaku targetted Kenshin, striking with one of his crescent blades.

"Oh, that was much easier than I thought." the young man chuckled.

"Himura Battosai is no one to fear!" Senkaku roared.

"I made a promise to Eiji." Kenshin stated, causing Senkaku to look and see that Kenshin had flipped his sakabato and had used the bladed part to cut into the crescent blade and stop it from making contact with his flesh "I will destroy you, before I destroy Shishio."

"Kenshin-sensei, allow me." Naruto said as cracked his neck "Let me show Shishio the true terror of my blade on this weakling."

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Senkaku roared as he turned and tried to smash Naruto who backflipped from the strike "You dare mock Senkaku, he who has killed ninety-nine people, and you shall be the hundredth!"

"Only ninety-nine. That's not much to be proud of." Saito remarked, further enraging the giant man.

"If that is all you've killed than I know that this was a waste of Kenshin-sensei's time." Naruto chuckled as he saw Senkaku charge him and Naruto simply sidestepped him as his blade flashed and blood splattered the ground as he cut the man's side "You are too slow."

"SLOW?!" Senkaku roared as he started moving faster and Naruto deemed him at about the speed Lee was at with his weights on.

"Slow." Naruto chuckled as he flowed with the strikes to avoid getting hit. This went on for a few seconds before Naruto grew bored and flickered from sight, moving at a speed that surpassed anything that any of the men had seen before and when he reappeared he was behind Senkaku, flicking blood off his blade. Senkaku let out a strangled cry as he fell to the ground, with several wounds on his body but clearly still alive.

"That is what you are up against." Naruto replied as he made eye contact with Shishio.

"You can come in." Saito said as he slid open the door and Misao and Eiji fell to the floor while Hinata just stepped over them "Just stay close."

"You did well Naruto-kun." Hinata nodded to the blonde who nodded back while keeping his eyes on Shishio.

"Hm... I never expected him to win, but the fact that you bested him so easily should be a testament to your skills. You are faster than Battosai, and Saito as well from the looks of it, and from that speed comes the real threat of your sword." Shishio noted.

"Partially true." Naruto nodded "Considering I only showed you a part of what I am capable of, while keeping you from seeing Kenshin-sensei's sword I would say that I have won this round."

"Yes, but revealed more than you intended." Shishio replied "I have heard that Battosai has sworn not kill, and you taking the fight from him has proved that to me. Disappointing. As you are you could not possibly defeat me. Boring. I don't want to fight." Shishio then snapped his fingers and the woman with him grabbed the edge of the folding screen and pulled it away, revealing a staircase "I'll be waiting in Kyoto. Become hitokiri and we'll try this again!"

"You'll turn tail and run?" Kenshin asked as he moved by Naruto. Shishio only smirked as he grabbed the katana that had been by him and threw it, just barely missing Kenshin as it went straight to the young man standing by the door.

"Soujirou, play with him for me." Shishio commanded.

"Are you sure?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes. In exchange for the Kitsune's display I'll show them my Tenken." Shishio replied as he walked down the stairs.

"Shit." Naruto cursed as he was about to move when he glanced at Kenshin.

"Can you handle this?"

"I'll manage." Kenshin replied as he poured out his KI towards Soujirou while startling Misao who collasped to the floor, but the young man was unfazed.

"Fine." Naruto nodded as he turned and ran towards the stairs where he quickly was accompanied by Hinata. As the pair ran they were met with some resistance from Shishio's men who were in the secret passage.

"Shit." Naruto cursed as he finished dealing with the minions.

"He is getting away." Hinata reported "He's on horseback right now."

"Double shit." Naruto cursed again as he picked up the speed. As they ran they were soon out of the inn and in the open country where Naruto was able to spot Shishio some distance away. Frowning he slowed then stopped as he muttered a curse.

"We can't catch him." Naruto sighed "He took this way intentionally should Saito or I come after him. The terrain is neutral, so the horse is naturally faster than a human, especially with how Shishio is likely driving it."

"Should we go back?" Hinata asked.

"No. Right now we are pretty close to the road. Let's head for Kyoto and we will find Kenshin-sensei there." Naruto sighed as he turned and headed for the road, and by the next morning they arrived in Kyoto.


	22. The Final Secret

_AN* And I live my good readers. I am sorry that I took so long to come pack to this, but life can be a bitch sometimes. Laptop broke and issues with the family have kept me away but now I am back with the next chapter. This one did take awhile as well, given the fact that I had to go through a few volumes of Rurouni Kenshin to make sure that the dialogue was correct. Now on to the reviews._

_Chewie Cookies: You have never read or watched Rurouni Kenshin? WOW... You are the first person that I have heard of that hasn't at least seen a bit of it. I highly recommend the manga as the anime has this long string of fillers and they go off on their own tangent at times. It isn't bad just kind of annoying for one who started with the manga and went to the show._

_ballinore: First, thanks for such a long and detailed review. I am glad that you approve of my choices, as I really put some thought into where he was going and why, though I have tossed in bleach elements as shinobi just for some kicks and a few different arcs I have planned later to get away from just the canon. Now as for the Kushina thing, I did have more planned to that then what I showed, I am a bastard when it comes to foreshadowing events and I will admit that that one in particular was done rather badly. I will either go back and fix it at a later date or I will explain it more later down the road, I will see where my muse takes me on that one._

_lucifer321: I know now. When I first wrote the chapter I thought it was the other way._

_J.T.P.2013: Sorry, but those dimensions are it. I have tossed in bleach characters into this as Kirigakure shinobi, but that is about as far as I am going with that._

_Delightfully Sinful: If I find any I will let you know. I would disagree with your statement on a few exceptions, as they did it very well, but generally your assessment on harem story plot lines is very correct._

_Agato - The Hadou Inari: Ok. 1 the canon is there as a guideline for me, suck it up and deal with it. 2 I have been told too many times that it is konaha, so you know what I am going with the majority on this one and keeping it that way._

_Ok, now on to the chapter. Word of warning, the next one will take awhile as I have to do a lot of research on that one._

The Final Secret

As the two shinobi walked through the streets Naruto's gaze was wandering and he would grip his katana at times as though expecting trouble.

"Are you ok Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

"Reliving old memories." Naruto replied as he walked and stopped "Down this alley is where I first met Saito."

"Really? Weren't you on opposite sides?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah." Naruto nodded

_*Flashback*_

_Naruto had been sent out on his own assassination tonight and he had succeeded with ease. As he made his way back he turned down an alley and came face to face with a man Kenshin had warned him about._

_"Lost?" Saito Hajime asked with a smirk "A boy like you should be home in bed, not running around with his father's sword."_

_"It's not my father's." Naruto replied as he eyed the man and instantly understood why he was to be cautious around this man._

_Saito studied him a few more seconds before drawing his katana._

_"I see. You are that young hitokiri that has been with the revolutionaries." Saito nodded as he took a stance, preparing to use his trademark technique Gatotsu. _

_Naruto frowned as he slipped into his own fighting stance and prepared to fight, knowing that if he survived this that Kenshin would likely reprimand him for allowing himself to face such a deadly opponent. Saito struck first, moving with deadly speed that Naruto matched as the two went past each other, both having blocked the attack of the other as they turned and Naruto frowned as he tried to come up with a way to either defeat or to at least distract Saito long enough for him to escape. Thinking on this he came up with an idea and charged forward, zigzaging to avoid making his path readable as he took Saito's left side and swung his blade at the Wolf of Mibu who blocked the strike and realized that Naruto had swung with only one hand as he twisted around a kunai dropping into his hand as he thrust it into Saito's side, causing the man to drop to the move back as Naruto took out a smokebomb and threw it to the ground, disappearing in the cloud._

_*Flashback End*_

"When I got back to the Revolutionaries Kenshin and the others chewed me out for fighting such an opponent." Naruto chucked "But they then told me that I did a good job in wounding the Wolf of Mibu."

"You called him the Wolf of Mibu, why?" Hinata inquired.

"Mibu is where the Shinsengumi started before they came to Kyoto to keep the peace." Naruto explained "We call him a wolf because he will rip out the throat of anyone that he deems to be evil. Aku Soku Zan."

With that they kept walking before Naruto stopped and asked Hinata to try and spot Kenshin. She frowned as she used her byakugan and then stopped and nodded that she had spotted him. Soon they were on their way towards an inn that looked well kept. Naruto opened the door to see a young woman inside.

"Oh, welcome. A room for two?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes, and we'd like to speak with Himura Kenshin while we are here." Naruto smiled.

"You know him?" She asked with a frown.

"I'm his former student." Naruto replied as he saw her relax and then nodded, leading them to Kenshin.

"Naruto-kun." Kenshin smiled as he saw them enter the room.

"Good to see you again Kenshin-sensei." Naruto nodded as he took a seat across from him "How'd it go against Soujoru?"

"It was a draw." Kenshin replied as he then explained that both blades were destroyed.

"So now what Kenshin-san?" Hinata asked.

"This one must find a new sakubato." Kenshin replied "Naruto-kun, who is your friend?"

"This is Hinata Hyuga, my girlfriend." Naruto replied with a smile "And I met yours too."

"WHAT?!" Kenshin exclaimed.

"You aren't courting Kaoru-san?" Naruto asked with a frown "Then you are doing something really wrong there sensei."

"You met Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked.

"Yeah. She was the one that told us that you were coming to Kyoto and this whole mess." Naruto nodded.

"This one had hoped to leave them out of this." Kenshin sighed "Now Naruto-kun, you said that you were here to learn the final secrets of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. This one does not know them, or where the man who does is currently at. The Oniwabanshu here have agreed to help however."

"Oniwabanshu?" Hinata asked.

"Shinobi." Naruto explained "Not as deadly as most from the village, but they are exceptional spies and assassins."

"Yes. For helping Misao get hom safely and for witnessing the end of the last of their active members they have agreed to help." Kenshin explained.

"The last active members?" Naruto frowned "I'm sensing that there is more to this."

"Yes." Kenshin sighed. He then told the story of how he had faced the Oniwabanshu and how they met their tragic end. Once he finished Naruto sighed and met Kenshin's gaze.

"You made a deadly enemy." Naurto sighed.

"This one understands that." Kenshin replied.

"Than let me do one last favor as your student. Let me face him."

"No." Kenshin shook his head.

"Think about this Kenshin-sensei. Aoshi wants the title of strongest. As things stand with the way his mind works I would be stronger than you." Naruto replied "While I do admit that it takes more strength to not kill than it does to kill, in Aoshi's mind that isn't true. So let him face a hitokiri that is still active, that is still willing to take a life to get a job done. I can face him and let him either claim the title of strongest, or be beaten to the point where he realizes that his dead friends wouldn't want him to die to give them that title."

Kenshin frowned at Naruto who met his gaze with one of pure determination and in the end Kenshin sighed.

"You are just as stubborn as you were when we last met." Kenshin chuckled "Very well, this one will let you take this fight from him."

"Thank you." Naruto smiled "Now than we might as well enjoy the food I can smell them cooking."

The next morning Naruto and Hinata were up at an early hour and out sparring in the backyard to keep their skills sharp as Okuni walked out and observed them.

"You fighting style is very unique, both of you." he noted "For shinobi this must be useful."

"Very." Naruto nodded as a thought struck him "Okuni-san, there is something that I want to ask you."

"Oh?"

"Does the name Hashirama Senju mean anything to you?" Naruto asked.

"How do you know that name?" Okuni asked with a very dark frown.

"He founded our village." Naruto replied calmly as he saw the older man's gaze soften.

"I see. Yes I met him when I was a boy the first time. He helped the Oniwabanshu through a tough time and taught us new shinobi ways to make us stronger. I met him two more times over the years, with the last time being just as the black ships landed. He was the one that advised us that it would be good to have an operative here in Kyoto." Okuni explained.

"Did he learn anything from all of you?" Naruto asked.

"He said he did, but I never understood what." Okuni replied with a shrug "Now let's go wake up Himura-san and see about getting you all reaquainted with Kyoto."

"That sounds nice." Hinata nodded as they met up with Misao who was in normal clothes instead of her shinobi garb as they went to wake up Kenshin, who they found already awake.

"If you're ready let's go Himura." Okuni replied.

"Oro?" Kenshin asked.

"Kyoto has changed a lot in the ten years you've been gone. Today I thought I'd show you around." Okuni replied "How about lunch at the Sukiyaki place, the Shirobeko?"

"Cool. I've been wanting to eat there." Misao agreed.

"Wait Okuni-dono!" Kenshin exclaimed "This one can't walk around Kyoto in broad daylight. Sometime, somewhere one of Shishio's men will notice this one and..."

"No matter where you run and hide Shishio will find you." Okuni repied.

"But..." Kenshin began.

"Himura, you're fighting Shishio for the people of this country. So stand up straight for all to see! That's the way of the honest man!" Okuni grinned. He then started to laugh as he walked away and Naruto felt a smile creep onto his face as he stared at this old shinobi.

"He always says that but in the old days, Jiya was so good he was going to be made the new Okashira. But he said "Now is the time for the young." and recommended Aoshi-sama, giving himself the minor role of agent in Kyoto. Now he's just a worn out old man but..." Misao explained.

"He may be worn out, but he still has plenty to offer." Naruto replied with the grin on his face "He is a man to be respected."

"Oh yes. The people you asked me to look for, the search began yesterday." Okuni told Kenhin.

"Search? For whom?" Misao asked Kenshin.

"No one you know." Kenshin replied, causing Misao to flip out as Okina was given a message. He opened it and frowned before speaking.

"Sorry Misao, we'll have to go to the Shirobeko another time. Himura, we've found one of them. Well, more accurately, we found out about his death." Okuni stated "The swordsmith who made the sakabato, Arai Shakku."

"A swordsmith? I see... To replace the broken sakabato. But if he's already dead then there's never going to be another..." Misao trailed off.

Soon they were on their way out as Okuni told more about the swordsmith.

"Arai Shakku. At the time of the Bakumatsu, he had a name among the Ishin Shishi as the finest swordsmith. Because he dedicated himself to the pursuit of the "katana that kills" and not the "katana that cuts" he was considered something of a heritic in the world of swordmaking."

"A swordsmith who tried to make the "katana that kills" made the unkilling sakabato? I don't get it." Misao noted.

"A man's life may sometimes contain many contradictions, right Himura?" Okuni noted.

"It was the Bakumatsu. Many men lived by ideals that they would later forsake. In times of war one does what one thinks is best to ensure peace, even if it means defiling the teachings that you were brought up to believe." Naruto replied.

"According to my sources, Shakku passed on all his secrets to his son. There were hopes for him being the next great swordsmith, but there are few orders for swords in the Meiji era; a swordsmith can barely survive. Now it seems he makes a living by making kitchen knives, scythes and other daily tools." Okuni continued "Shakku's son, Arai Seikuu, maybe he can make a new sakabato."

They soon arrived at the home and shop of Arai Seikuu and entered to find a small child sitting behind the counter.

"Seikuu?" Kenshin asked bewildered.

"Well..." Okuni trailed off, just as bewildered.

"Shake! Shake!" the little boy giggled as he moved his hands up and down.

"Oh, a handshake? Okay, okay." Kenshin smiled as he shook one of his little fingers.

"Don't play with them Iori." a woman said as she entered.

"So this is Seikuu's son." Naruto sighed.

"That was almost too much for me to believe." Hinata nodded.

"Welcome sir, is there something you want?" the woman asked kindly.

"Actually this one wanted a kitchen kife." Kenshin began "Do you mind if I try it out?"

"Not at all." she replied.

Kenshin then pulled out a large carrot that stunned all four of his companions as to how he had been carrying that without them noticing, and cut it in two. Kenshin then put the two parts back together and revealed that the carrot was a single whole again.

"This is the first time I've seen the "Return Cut"." Okuni noted.

"Return Cut?" Hianta asked.

"It's when a cut has been made but nothing has been crushed along the line of the cut, so it can be put back exactly as it was." Naruto explained "When a fine blade and the arm of a master come together for the first time a test cut could be of this quality. But the fact that it was done with a kitchen knife is testament to how skilled Seikuu is."

"WOW! Then this is it!" Misao exclaimed "Arai Seikuu can make a new sakabato!"

"Ma'am, could this one speak with Seikuu-done?" Kenshin asked.

"Yes?"

"This one would ask him to make a katana." Kenshin explained.

"Well I..." she started.

"Excuse me." a voice said from around the corner as he walked over "I'm Arai Seikuu."

"You're Seikuu?" Misao asked "You don't look like I thought you would."

"Actually I get that a lot." he chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head "I overheard your conversation. You need a katana? I'm sorry but I no longer make katana's. I cannot fulfill your request."

There was a moment of stunned silence before Hinata and Naruto restrained Misao.

"If I may ask, why not?" Okuni asked.

"People that come to me with requests for katana's know of my father's quest for the "Katana that kill's". He used to tell me "The katana's that I make will bring in a new era". But I didn't accept my father's beliefs. The katana's he shaped stole many lives. What does killing have to do with brining in a new era? I wasn't convinced. During those times of violence there was nothing that I could do, but it's the Meiji era now. The age of peace has finally come. The Samurai have thrown away their katana's so I too will throw away the art of swordmaking. I've decided to earn my families living making the tools of everyday life." Seikuu explained.

"I see. So you're a pacifist in nature, the complete opposite of your father." Okuni noted.

"Well I don't know about principles, but I love peace as would anyone." he replied. Naruto placed a hand over Misao's mouth before she could begin another rant and nodded for Kenshin to go ahead.

"Of course Seikuu-dono. This one is sorry to have brought you a futile request. Thank you for your time." Kenshin smiled as they walked away.

"That's it?! Himura!" Misao shouted.

"Seikuu-dono desires peace with his whole heart. Even a sakabato that cannot kill is still an instrument of war. This one couldn't bear for him to make such a thing." Kenshin explained "The search for a sakabato will have to begin again."

The five of them were soon back in the inn and discussing their options. A few days later Naruto and Hinata excused themselves to go wander around the city. As they walked Naruto pointed out a few things that he remembered from his time in the city and eventually he stopped as he made eye contact with a man that he knew from the description Kenshin had given him.

"Aoshi." Naruto stated as the taller man stopped in front of him.

"Who are you?"

"Naruto Uzumaki, Hitokiri Kitsune, first and only disciple of Hitokiri Battosai." Naruto replied as held the gaze of the Okashira.

"Then you know where your master is." he stated coldly.

"I wouldn't tell you if I did."

"I could make you."

"You'd fail. I've learned plenty about interrogation and know more about pain than you do." Naruto grinned "I'll get out of your way for today after delivering a message to you."

"A message?'

"Yes. If you want the title of strongest than be patient. The one who bares the strength that you want to defeat will come before you once he is ready." Naruto remarked.

"So I have to wait for Battosai to be ready to fight me."

"I never said Battosai." Naruto corrected "You want the title of strongest, to defeat the man that was at his peak ten years ago. Here is my offer for you. Face me once I am ready and have finished my training to become stronger. Face a man that is as strong as Himura Kenshin was during the Bakumatsu, face the true strength of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, used the way it was intended."

"So you want me to wait and face you then?" Aoshi smirked "You are a child, not worth my time. I will find and defeat Himura Kenshin, and give the title of strongest to the Oniwabanshu."

With that Aoshi walked off and Naruto sighed as he and Hinata kept walking. Later that afternoon they returned to the inn to find that Kenshin had a new sakabato and they were quickly told the story of what had happened.

"So we missed out." Naruto chuckled as he sat with Kenshin "Still it turned out for the best."

"For now yes." Kenshin nodded. The next morning however Kenshin informed them that he would be leaving.

"You're leaving the Aoiya?!" Misao shouted as Kenshin finished working on the katana "WHY?! Now, when you finally got a new sakabato?!" During this last part thought she got in too close and smashed her head agaisnt Kenshin's, earning a chuckle from Naruto who was leaning against the wall.

"Himura, you owe us a reason." Okuni stated but Kenshin remained silent.

"Tell me now you bastard!" Misao shouted again as Okuni told her to calm down.

"You don't want to tell us?" Okuni noted "Well, after all, we are perfect strangers. I have no right to ask you about matters close to your heart. The before you leave, you'll have to pay the bill for ten days stay, seven yen and fifty sen." At this Kenshin literally froze in what he was doing in pure shock while Naruto blinked at this as well and looked at Hinata wondering how much they owed "The Aoiya is a restaurant and an inn. A stranger has no right to stay for free."

"Right on Jiya!" Misao cheered.

"Just tell us then Himura. Why not? This child won't let you go that easy." Okuni remarked as Kenshin sat there quietly for a few more moments before speaking.

"If this one stay here, others will be involved. In order to avoid involving anyone in this battle, this one left Tokyo alone. But in the latest matter, the Seikuu family was involved. If this one stays here, you will be involved as well." Kenshin explained.

"What? You don't have to worry about that! I was taught Kempo by Hanya! It's not like I'm Iori!" Misao boasted.

"Really?" Kenshin asked, causing Misao to fall to floor in shock "In the eyes of Shishio's men, Misao-dono and Iori would be the same. This one doesn't want to put anyone else in danger. From now on this one will fight alone."

"Not alone." Naruto replied as he made eye contact with Kenshin "I came a long way to find your master and I owe you for all you taught me. I will fight alongside you again."

"So will I." Hinata nodded "You've done so much for Naruto-kun, there is no way we will abandon you."

"This one does not wish to put anyone else in danger."

"That's why we are going in of our own choosing." Naruto replied "Hinata-chan and I are no strangers to danger. We will fight alongside you."

"I understand Himura. I'll respect your wishes." Okuni nodded "When we find out about the other person you asked me to search for, Hiko Seijuro, I'll send word. The old ways of doing things are the surest."

"Thank you." Kenshin nodded as he started to leave.

"Thank you for everything." Naruto nodded as he went towards Kenshin, Hinata beside him.

"Why Himura... Why are you so distant all of a sudden? Is it because I know that you're Hitokiri Battosai? Well excuse me, but I don't care about your stupid past. Whoever you are, the person I met wasn't the hitokiri. It was the Rurouni." Misao stated, and Kenshin chuckled a bit "WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!"

"Someone this one parted with in Tokyo said something like that to me." Kenshin replied "But this one never expected to hear those words in Kyoto. This one is sorry that he couldn't tell you about Aoshi."

"I knew I couldn't count on you. I'll show you, I'll find him myself." Misao stated stubbornly. With that the three of them walked out of the Aoiya, and as they hit the streets they heard Misao shouting at them.

"Hey Himura! You told Eiji in Shingetsu to be happy! Why don't you take you own advice! You're going to end up miserable if you try to do everything on your own! You better remember it! You bastard!"

"Quite the mouth on her." Naruto chuckled.

"Perhaps, but she does care." Kenshin replied as they left the city proper and moved into the forest where they would have a clear view of the signal that Okuni would give them once Hiko Seijoru had been located. For three days they stayed in the woods, with Naruto and Hinata sparring regularly to stay in peak form when they finally saw the signal.

"They found him." Naruto stated as he saw the firework.

"Yes. Let's go." Kenshin nodded as they went back into Kyoto. Once they reached the Aoiya Okuni handed Kenshin a sheet of paper.

"Hiko Seijuro's whereabouts." he replied "We never suspected it was a secret name so he was difficult to find."

"Ah. My apologies... This one just realized it now." Kenshin nodded as he turned to leave "This one had hoped to apolgize to her, but in the end this one will have to leave the Misao-dono and Aoshi matter to you."

"Don't worry about it. It's in good hands." Okuni promised.

"Well then." Kenshin nodded as he started to leave.

"I'm sorry Himura." Okuni stated, causing the three of them to pause "I really wanted to help you til the bitter end, but my first responsibility is to protect Misao and the Aoiya. Even though it was a cowardly thing to do, I lied when I told Seikuu-san that I understood your feelings. However I am your ally at heart. It's not just me Misao and those at the Aoiya, Seikuu's family, and probably those you left in Tokyo. We all want you safe from harm. Do not forget that."

"Many thanks." Kenshin nodded as they left.

"He is right you know." Naruto pointed out "Try to do everything on your own and you'll get crushed under the weight. Let your friends take some of that burden."

Kenshin only smiled as they walked and were soon heading into the mountains. It was nightfall when they finally found the man and Kenshin stopped them.

"This one wishes to test and make sure that it is really him."

"Fine with me, but let me help out." Naruto smiled as he leapt up into the tree tops and waited for Kenshin to move behind him and strike, causing the man to leap out of the way. Naruto struck while he was in midair and flipped down, swinging his katana at the man who deflected it as he landed.

"Attacking a mere potter out of nowhere, that really has no style." Hiko remarked.

"Hiko Seijuro is no mere potter." Kenshin remarked as he sheathed his blade.

"If you're only a potter than I'm the next emperor of Japan." Naruto smirked as he sheathed his blade as well.

"Oh, it's you." Hiko remarked to Kenshin "I don't know you however." he said to Naruto.

"It's been a long time Master." Kenshin said as he faced the man. Hiko only sighed as he looked at them and nodded towards the small cottage for them to come in. Hinata joined up with them and once they were inside Hiko took a seat and spoke.

"Well now that you've had the gall to actually show your face here, what is it you want with me?" he asked.

"It seems that Niitsu Kakunoshin is a rising new name in the world of ceramics. Why pottery?" Kenshin asked, dodging Hiko's question.

"Pottery, whatever, it was the easiest way to make a living without having to deal with a lot of people." Hiko shrugged "So, it doesn't matter. My genius talents shows in whatever I do."

Naruto and Hinata blinked at this and looked between him and Kenshin before Naruto cracked a smirk.

"You didn't answer my question." Hiko remarked "You came to tell me something that's hard for you to say. I was your master. I can read my foolish pupil like a book."

"Then I'll say it straight out." Kenshin nodded as he took a knee, with Naruto moving next to him and doing the same thing "The instruction of the Hiten Mitsurugi school that I left fifteen years ago, I ask it of you now."

"Absolutely not." Hiko stated without a moment's hesitation, shocking all three of them "You were the one who left fifteen years ago, and I never taught the blonde one. Why now, after all this time?" Hiko continued as he started to turn, but stopped when Kenshin grabbed his mantle.

"Please, I beg you." Kenshin pleaded.

"Well that's something." Hiko smirked "You look like you're at the end of your rope. Alright, if you're asking than I'm listening."

And with that Kenshin started to explain exactly what the problem was and after he finished Hiko looked at Naruto who nodded and started speaking.

"As Kenshin told you, I was trained by him during the Bakumatsu. After I left I studied various other fighting styles in order to make myself a more powerful shinobi for my village. Just recently I was faced with two rogue shinobi that are at the highest rating of danger, and discovered that they are hunting me for something that my father hid with me before he died. I need to grow stronger in order to defend my home as well as my own life." Naruto explained. Hiko sat there for a moment before speaking.

"Hmm... So to put it simply this man called Shishio Makoto is plotting to take over Japan. You, on the other hand, are slowly reverting to Hitokiri Battosai. You want to defeat Shishio without becoming the hitokiri, in other words you need to be stronger than you are now." Hiko mused "Well you know what they say, he who chases two hares catches neither."

"Master." Kenshin sighed.

"I'm sure I taught you this." Hiko began with pure seriousness "A sword is a weapon. Kenjutsu is the art of killing. Whatever pretty words you use this is it's true nature. Your own foolish ideals, or today's harsh realities. Whatever you're trying to protect, it's complete selfishness."

"That's harsh." Naruto noted with a frown.

"And you, seeking this knowledge when I never taught you. I am sure that my foolish pupil did not distill this information on you, to never take a side in conflict."

"He did." Naruto replied "And as a shinobi, I am a sellsword. Working for whoever can afford to pay me."

"Hmph." Hiko snorted as he refocused on Kenshin "Looks like fifteen years ago you devoted yourself to the chaos of the Bakumatsu. That was your biggest mistake." he then retold the fight between them briefly before continuing "After that we argued and left on bad terms. You see before you the result" he paused again as he pointed at Kenshin "You may have gotten better with the sword, but your spirit hasn't grown at all ever since you were fourteen, my foolish pupil. Carrying wounds that cannot be erased, on your left cheek and your heart. You're teetering between the hitokiri and one who has sworn to never kill again. You have even woken up Shishio Makoto, the Ishin Shishi's ghost of the Bakumatsu. You Ishin Shishi belived in justice and supported it. You certainly built the Meiji government out of the violence. But at the same time to hide your wrongdoings, you buried in the darkness anything that wasn't conveninent. Shishio Makoto will come back even stronger as the ghost of the Bakumatsu. Violence begets violence in a vicious cycle. Both of you, with your Hiten Mitsurugi, also have played a role in raising this ghost."

Naruto looked down ashamed at this. He knew that Hiko had a point in doing this, and that he was right about how their swords had caused this trouble. Kenshin had told him before that this sword was to never be used to take sides, but in the end both of them had done just that. Naruto more so now that he was back in the village.

"You were right!" Hiko shouted as he smashed his hand to the ground "The original purpose of the school was to protect others from the suffering of the ages! However this strength must be based on the ideals of freedom! If it is not free this is the kind of disaster that will be born! So we would never become dogs of the government! You, who never understood this or could teach it to your student, could never have learned the secret techniques of our school!" Hiko paused for a moment as a silence fell over them. After a few moments though he spoke again.

"Maybe it was a mistake teaching you Hiten Mitsurugi after all." Hiko sighed. Just then two people burst into the hut shouting.

"WHAT WAS THAT JUST NOW?!" they shouted.

"What? Who are you?" Hiko asked as he looked at them. Naruto turned and smirked when he saw Misao and Yahiko standing there.

"Misao-dono, Yahiko." Kenshin said in shock as he then saw the third person behind them "Kaoru-dono."

"These friends of yours?" Hiko asked.

"Yes." Kenshin nodded.

"It's like Grand Central Station in here. People should know when they're not wanted." Hiko complained "Kenshin, Naruto. Run outside and get some water."

"Go?" Kenshin asked

"There's only enough water for one. The kids cannot be expected to go all night without anything to eat or drink." Hiko replied.

"Why would I..." Kenshin began again.

"Aren't you going for a moonlit stroll with the girl?" Hiko asked.

"Master that's not why I..." Kenshin started again.

"That's your old spirit." Hiko grinned "Don't just stand here talking about it GO!"

"You always were a slave driver." Kenshin complained. Naruto only shook his head as he stood up, kissed Hinata's cheek and left, ignoring the blush that hit her face as he had done such a thing. Soon the pair were outside heading for the stream to get water.

"So you and Kaoru huh?" Naruto asked with a grin as Kenshin started sputtering.

"No!" he finally managed to get out.

"You mean you're really not going to start dating?" Naruto asked with a tilt of his head "What is wrong with you? You have a young woman that is clearly in love with you and you clearly care enough about her to try and keep her out of this fight, and yet you aren't making a move?"

"Well what about you and Hinata-dono?"

"Dating." Naruto replied "Hell I'd bet my mom and her dad are already making a marriage contract."

Back in Konaha Kushina and Hiashi sneezed as they sat in the Hyuga compound discussing the possibility of a marriage between their children.

"Someone is talking about us." Hiashi noted.

"Yeah." Kushina nodded "Oh well, let's get back to work."

Back with Naruto the two were just reaching the hut, with each of them carrying a bucket of water. As they entered their was a silence in the room that made Naruto a little nervous.

"Master, where should I put..."

"You spent the last ten years wandering the country, righting wrongs as a vagabond. Did it take you fifteen years to figure out the reasons for the Hiten Mitsurugi school? Or were you atoning for the lives you took as a hitokiri?" Hiko asked Kenshin before looking at Naruto "And you, while you may be a shinobi, bound to the orders of those above you, your friend here has said that you showed loyalty to them dispite the fact that you were essentially the village's whipping boy. Did you return out of some sense of loyalty or to help protect those that were most important to you?"

"It was both." Kenshin stated, meeting Hiko's gaze "And because of what this one said to you fifteen years ago. Before my eyes people are suffering, people are in misery. Whatever the reason, I don't want to leave them as they are."

"It was both for me too." Naruto replied "The village has been my home, it is where my father died to defend it, where my friends and loved ones live. It is my home, even if those that live there don't care for me I will fight to defend those that live there, wether they be loved ones or not."

"Even though both of you are stupid pupils, when it comes time to act you can talk like a man." Hiko grinned "Follow me! I will pass down to you two the final mysteries of the Hiten Mitsurugi school!"

Everyone there looked shocked that the man who had refused to teach them earlier was now willing to help them.

"What? As a great hearted swordsman, I can't let Shishio take over the country, and I don't have time to look for another pupil." Hiko explained as he started to leave "It'd be easier to do it myself, but after all this time I'd just rather not."

With that final statement everyone fell to the floor in shock of how uncaring this man seemed to be at times.

"You have a responsibility. Stop Shishio Makoto." Hiko ordered as he looked at Kenshin, who met his gaze with the firey determination that Naruto knew so well. Soon the three swordsman were outside heading towards the woods when Kaoru called for Kenshin.

"I came to Kyoto without thinking of the danger. Are you angry with me?" she asked.

"Half of me is." Kenshin stated "But for the other half, I'm somehow... relieved. You don't know where Shishio's men could be hiding, so be careful."

Naruto stopped and kissed Hinata goodbye before walking with the swordsman and soon they were standing on a cliff that protruded out by a waterfall. The two faced the older master and waited for him to speak.

"Before we begin I have something to say to the both of you. If you master this final technique you'll probably gain strength equal to mine." Hiko paused there and started thinking "No, you couldn't be that good. At your very best you might be able to just touch my level. But don't get to sure of yourselves. If you bear your burdens alone and protect others by sacrificing yourselves, the Meiji era will not be kind to you. Likewise it will not easy to gain happiness alone. If you fall here the girl who came all the way to Kyoto to see you will be left miserable and alone. And the girl who travelled with you will be the one to bare the burden of telling you loved ones that you fell."

"Master, you don't mean..." Kenshin trailed off as Naruto met Hiko's gaze with a silent determination to survive no matter what the cost.

"Remember this. No matter how strong you get you are only human. The Budha has no need for violence. I'm through talking, let's get started." Hiko finished as he drew his katana and Naruto and Kenshin did the same "Before I teach you this technique I am going to test your abilities."

Naruto only nodded as the pair prepared to fight the only master of this ancient sword. The battle started quickly and the two were soon realizing that while Hiko was vain he was a deadly swordsman and had earned the right to be vain in this regard. Naruto and Kenshin were soon stepping back and Hiko nodded towards them.

"You both rely on your speed too much. Though Naruto seems to have better reflexs on that regard, probably from facing opponents that are just as fast as he is. If I am going to teach you this technique then you must be able land one blow on me." Hiko explained.

"Fine." Naruto replied as he removed his coat and reentered his fighting stance "Let's see how you handle me without my weights."

Hiko blinked as Naruto moved first, surpasing the speed of most humans and struck, starting with a cut to the left side that Hiko blocked, and then dodged the sheathe that Naruto tried to use to land a blow to his side. When that failed Naruto continued his onslaught slipping from one form to the next with ease and finally he managed to slip under Hiko's swing and avoid the knee that Hiko tried to hit him with and hit Hiko with the back of his katana right at the neck, though Naruto was backhanded as a result, sending him skidding across the width of the cliff.

"Impressive." Hiko nodded "You managed to take my back before I could stop you. You can go and wait while I keep testing my foolish pupil."

"Ok, good luck Kenshin-sensei." Naruto nodded as he walked off to the side and leaned back, taking a nap as he waited for the pair to finish. For several days Kenshin and Hiko fought, with Kenshin making little headway. After some time Hiko finally gave an ultimatum.

"If you can't get an attack in this round I won't teach you the techniques." Hiko stated as they faced each other and Naruto sat up and frowned at this. He knew that Kenshin needed to learn these techniques and that if he didn't there was little chance that he would survive the upcoming battles. Kenshin seemed to strengthen his resolve before starting the match, leaping into the air with Hiko right behind them and both of them using a Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu technique. Naruto stared intently as their blades met and Kenshin managed to just graze Hiko's right arm and then he fell to the ground and hit it with enough force to black out.

"Good grief." Naruto sighed as he stood up and walked over to his sensei, making sure that he was ok "He has gotten rusty."

"Yes. But he never could land a blow on me before." Hiko replied with a shrug "You however intrigue me. You are younger than my idiot student, and yet you have taken the sword further than he has."

"I have put my life on the line against men and women who far surpass me, and have walked away the winner. I have had to learn to find the one weak link in my opponents armor and use it against them, wether it be their own pride or a past injury." Naruto replied as he made eye contact with Hiko "No matter what it takes I will survive and live for my loved ones."

Hiko only smirked as he looked at Kenshin and let him lay there for a few moments before waking him up, explaining what went wrong and then telling him that he had managed to land that one clean hit. With that Hiko led them back to his home where he had Kenshin face him first.

"All right, now don't move. One false move and you'll be killed." Hiko warned as he started to explain the technique "First a review. The types of attacks in kenjutsu. First, the karatake(downward cut to the head), kesagiri the slantwise downward cut to the sholder, reverse kesagiri, right nagi(side cut), left nagi, right upward cut, left upward cut, and the sakakaze, upward stroke. Finally the stroke that pierces the shortest distance to the chest, the tsuki. In all the schools there is not a killing technique that does not aim for one of those nine points. Naturally the stances of defense were designed to correspond to these same nine points. But..." he stopped as he struck appearing behind Kenshin "If you move with the god like speed of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu and strike at all nine points at once, there is no possibility of defense. This is the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Kuzuryusen(Nine Headed Dragon Flash)."

Naruto blinked at this and realized the implications of such a technique, a technique that could not be blocked if used correctly. Kenshin seemed to be having the same thoughts and both realized that this was a very dangerous technique.

"The same power of the wild attack Ryusosen in all nine attacks combined with a charging attack that makes avoidance of the strikes impossible. This is the technique I'm best at." Hiko remarked, as he motioned for Naruto to stand where Kenshin was and he then unleashed the technique again, with Naruto's mind already grasping the technique and realizing that it would take speed greater than Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu to avoid this attack.

"Now quit standing there admiring it and give it a try." Hiko remarked.

"Just... Just like that?!" Kenshin exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" Hiko replied "You can't learn this technique by studying footwork. It's when you've felt it's force and you're on your hands and knees that you learn. It's the way I've always trained you."

Kenshin seemed to pale as he remembered his training "Oh yeah... This one is lucky he survived."

"Well it's all thanks to my clearly giving you just as much as you could take." Hiko shrugged as he faced Kenshin with his katana leveled, his face serious "Come on and try it. Full strength."

Kenshin drew his sakabato and his face grew determined as he faced his master. Kenshin unleashed the Kuzuryusen and headed straight towards Hiko who used his Kuzuryusen and the two collided with Kenshin winding up on the ground. Kenshin seemed to start to worry that his Kuzuryusen wasn't perfect as Hiko spoke.

"No, it was perfect. Let Naruto try his luck and then I will explain." Hiko stated as Naruto drew his katana and removed his coat, knowing that it would take everything that he had to best this man. Naruto unleashed the Kuzuryusen and, again, Hiko unleashed his and Naruto met the same result as Kenshin.

"Even with the same Hiten Mitsurugi and the same technique, if the fighters differ the force will differ as well. In wild attacks it's the strength of your arm that counts; in charging attacks, your weight. In both these aspects you two are overwhelmingly my inferior. In other words, before my Kuzuryusen your Kuzuryusen is, of course, as useless as any other technique." Hiko paused here to let it sink in and Naruto started to realize that this couldn't be the final move "If you're going to defeat my Kuzuryusen, there's only one technique that can do it. The greatest secret of the Hiten Mitsurugi school, the Amakameru Ryu no Hirameki(Flash of the Heavenly Flying Dragon)."

Naruto and Kenshin both traded looks, Kenshin more shocked that this was the final secret.

"What are you looking so shocked for?" Hiko remarked "I never said that the Kuzuryusen was the ultimate technique. The Kuzuryusen wasn't created in real combat or in training. It was made as a step in the passing down of the techniques, as a test. To learn the succession technique, first you begin with the Kuzuryusen. If you can defeat the Kuzuryusen of the previous master, the initiation in the secrets of the school is complete."

"However..." Kenshin trailed off, knowing that there was more to it than that.

"Think hard about the Kuzuryusen that you just learned. If you do you'll get a general idea about the Amakameru Ryu no Hirameki." Hiko advised.

"About the Kuzuryusen." Kenshin muttered as an idea struck him. Kenshin sheated his blade and took a stance for battojutsu and Naruto nodded his understanding of this.

"Well done, that's right. Surpassing the divine speed is the greater divine speed of battojutsu. This is the true nature of the Amakameru Ryu no Hirameki. But the problem is that the sakabato will handicap the battojutsu. Can you still surpass divine speed?" Hiko asked, causing Kenshin to be silent as he then released his sakabato and moved into a formless stance "In a formless stance with your sakabato put away, you intend to use Haisui no Jin(One who prepares to exhaust all his strenght, who cannot recover if he fails). That's foolish."

"I know. But even if this one throws away his life, this one must master the succession technique." Kenshin stated, his eyes determined not to fail. Hiko stared at Kenshin before lowering his katana.

"Then you really are a stupid pupil." Hiko replied "You haven't learned anything at all."

"Master!" Kenshin exclaimed as Hiko started to walk away.

"Take one night. Until morning, search your heart and find that part of you that you lack. If you can't do that, in mastering the ultimate technique you really will be throwing your life away." Hiko remarked as continued to walk towards his house, with Naruto hot on his heels.

"Hiko-sama." Naruto said as he caught up to him "I would like to try and learn this technique."

Hiko stared at Naruto for a moment before nodding and walking off with Naruto away from Kenshin's eyes. Once they stopped Naruto faced the man and spoke.

"What I am about to do I would ask you tell no one about." Naruto pleaded.

"Why?" Hiko asked with a smirk. Naruto then formed the handsign and created a Kage Bunshin and Hiko's eyes widened.

"This is a trick I learned before I met Kenshin-sensei, but I don't use it around him."

"You are not from this realm are you?" Hiko asked with a smirk.

"No." Naruto nodded.

"Fine, what did you have in mind." Hiko asked. Nodding Naruto looked at the clone who then henged into Hiko, causing the man to run his gaze over it before speaking.

"You got the nose wrong." he stated.

"It's not meant to be exact, just to be a replica of you so that I can learn this technique." Naruto replied "Now would you please use Kuzuryusen against the clone?"

"Fine." Hiko nodded as the two Hiko's struck and in the end it was a perfect draw. Nodding Naruto created another clone that turned into Hiko and had it face him, with Naruto slipping into a battojutsu stance. When the fake Hiko struck Naruto did as well, knowing that there was no way he could afford to lose as he unleashed the Amakameru Ryu no Hirameki. The technique was flawless as he cut clean through the clone and Naruto blinked as he looked over to the older master.

"This technique... Kenshin could kill you with it couldn't he?" Naruto asked.

"It's a possibility." Hiko nodded.

"That would destroy him." Naruto noted.

"I trust that my stupid pupil will manage." Hiko replied "Congratulations, Naruto Uzumaki. You are the fourteenth master of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. With it you will also be given the alias of Hiko Seijuro."

"I see." Naruto nodded "I'll hang onto it, in case I ever decide to hang up the shinobi headband."

"Good. Normally I would give you this mantle as well, but the coat you wear is weighted, so there is no need." Hiko replied.

"Yeah, I think it weights more than yours. Mine is at close to a hundred pounds right now." Naruto replied as Hiko blinked at the weight "My goal is to have it weight half as much as I do."

"Then I wish you the best with that." Hiko chuckled as they walked back towards his home where Kenshin seemed deep in thought.

"I'll be going now Kenshin-sensei." Naruo said.

"You mastered it?" Kenshin asked.

"I found a way." Naruto replied "You'll be fine. I'll see you soon."

"Yes." Kenshin nodded. With that Naruto started to make his way down the mountain where he would soon find himself at a police outpost and then being sent to meet up with Saito to help stop Shishio's first plot.


End file.
